Spaceflight Insider

News Archive / Tagged: Dream Chaser

  • NASA picks 7 companies to advance commercial space capabilities

    Derek RichardsonJune 16th, 2023

    NASA has partnered with seven companies to help advance commercial orbital capabilities to meet the agency’s needs while building up a commercial low Earth orbit economy.

  • Blue Origin announces ‘Orbital Reef’ commercial space station

    Derek RichardsonOctober 26th, 2021

    In partnership with Sierra Space, Blue Origin announced plans for a commercial space station called 'Orbital Reef' to be built in low Earth orbit by the end of this decade.

  • Progress continues on Dream Chaser space plane

    Cullen DesforgesApril 26th, 2019

    Having recently completed a major NASA milestone, Sierra Nevada Corporation is well into construction of the cargo variant of its Dream Chaser space plane.

  • Dream Chaser passes latest NASA development milestone

    Derek RichardsonMarch 24th, 2019

    Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser space plane passed another milestone in its development to be the third commercial cargo freighter for the ISS.

  • SNC taps AZUR SPACE to produce cargo Dream Chaser solar panels

    Jason RhianDecember 13th, 2017

    Sierra Nevada Corporation has tapped AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH to provide solar panels for the first Dream Chaser cargo spacecraft. The announcement was made via a release issued by AZUR SPACE, denoting that the new automated shuttle is getting ready for its first flight – currently slated to take to the skies in 2019.

  • Dream Chaser completes successful glide test

    Derek RichardsonNovember 14th, 2017

    Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spaceplane test article successfully performed a free-flight test at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. The spacecraft is being developed to send cargo to the International Space Station.

  • Huntsville seeks FAA approval to host Dream Chaser landings at HSV

    Curt GodwinSeptember 1st, 2017

    Huntsville, Alabama, has left an indelible mark on the United States' spaceflight heritage, earning the nickname "The Rocket City" in the process. Now the northern Alabama municipality seeks Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for its international airport (HSV) to be a landing location for Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft.

  • Contract brings Dream Chaser flights closer to reality

    Joe LatrellJuly 20th, 2017

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In development for more than ten years, the Dream Chaser spaceplane is one step closer to flight. Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has signed a contract with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to send the spacecraft to orbit. 

  • Sierra Nevada ground tests Dream Chaser’s steering, brakes

    Bart LeahyJuly 18th, 2017

    On Monday, July 17, SNC put its full-scale Dream Chaser test vehicle through its paces on the ground at NASA’s Armstrong Research Center in California. According to a report by Spaceflight Now, the ground tests towed the vehicle fast enough to evaluate the performance of its brakes, steering, guidance, navigation, and control systems.

  • Dream Chaser spacecraft passes 3rd integration review milestone

    Bart LeahyMay 27th, 2017

    Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced on May 25, 2017, that the firm's Dream Chaser spacecraft had passed its third integration review under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract. This latest review evaluated whether the spacecraft's system design met NASA’s key mission requirements to send cargo to the International Space Station.

  • Trump space advisors considering Hubble servicing mission

    Bart LeahyFebruary 16th, 2017

    The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump administration advisers are considering a public-private crewed mission aboard the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft to keep the aging Hubble Space Telescope (HST) operational. The proposed mission, which would not happen before 2019, would require support from the next NASA administrator.

  • Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser arrives at Armstrong for further testing

    Bart LeahyJanuary 31st, 2017

    On Jan. 26, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) delivered the engineering test article for their Dream Chaser spacecraft to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center for its next round of testing. The testing is part of SNC’s developmental space act agreement with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

  • Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex highlights NASA’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Programs

    Jason RhianJanuary 14th, 2017

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Just after the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday, NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex unveiled in the West wing of the IMAX Theater a display showcasing spacecraft that are being used on NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo endeavors.

  • Insider Exclusive: Jacobs’ TPSF enabling Kennedy to become multi-user spaceport

    Jason RhianNovember 28th, 2016

    KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — The TPSF is one of the many centers that has had to redefine itself in the post-shuttle era. As NASA works to repurpose KSC, to convert it into a multi-user spaceport, the buildings' unique capabilities are continuing to serve the agency as it eyes sending crews to asteroids, Mars, and other potential deep space destinations.

  • Aerojet Rocketdyne chosen to supply Dream Chaser’s power

    Curt GodwinAugust 4th, 2016

    Aerojet Rocketdyne has been selected to supply the electrical power distribution system for Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft. The company will be responsible for designing, developing, manufacturing, and testing the system, followed by integration into the reusable spacecraft's power network.