In a move that could finally open access to space for developing countries around the world, the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) have recently announced plans for the first ever dedicated UN space mission to low-Earth orbit.

All 193 UN member states will be able to propose payloads for the mission, and the countries that are eventually selected will be asked to pay a portion of the mission costs based on both the resources required and – crucially – their own financial ability to contribute. UNOOSA says it will offer technical support where needed, while major sponsors could foot a large portion of the bill.

The mission will consist of a 14-day flight to low-Earth orbit aboard SNC's Dream Chaser. Back in September 2014, Sierra Nevada had lost a crucial NASA contract to SpaceX and Boeing for the job of ferrying astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station. However, the company quickly bounced back and was recently awarded a minimum of six missions under NASA's Commercial Re-supply Services 2 (CRS-2) for delivering cargo to the ISS using the company's spaceplane.