FYI @SierraNevCorp WRT your claim that the #DreamChaser landing will be the "first runway landing since @NASA‘s shuttle program ended a decade ago". Here's a 7 May 2017 USAF tweet. Try Googling. Just sayin' https://t.co/15kgEUb5zH — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 4, 2021

Space plane could make first Alabama landing in 2022, AL.com “A mini space plane could return from space and land at the Huntsville International Aiport as soon as 2022, the Alabama Space Authority was told today. “When the space shuttle landed, thousands of people would come out. It was a huge event,” John Roth, vice president of business relations for Sierra Nevada Corp., said in Huntsville. “We haven’t had a […]

Sierra Nevada Files Suit To Reinstate Hold on Commercial Crew Contracts “In filings with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, Sierra Nevada filed requests for both a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to overturn a NASA decision Oct. 9 lifting an order stopping work on Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts awarded Sept. 16 to Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies Corp.” – Why Sierra Nevada Did […]

Why NASA Rejected Sierra Nevada’s Commercial Crew Vehicle, Aviation Week “The internal document, signed by NASA Associate Administrator William Gerstenmaier on Sept. 15, the day before the contract awards were announced, says, “I consider SNC’s (Sierra Nevada Corp.) design to be the lowest level of maturity, with significantly more technical work and critical design decisions to accomplish. The proposal did not thoroughly address these design challenges and trades.” Gerstenmaier goes […]

NASA Exercises Authority to Proceed with Commercial Crew Contracts “On Oct. 9, under statutory authority available to it, NASA has decided to proceed with the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts awarded to The Boeing Company and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. notwithstanding the bid protest filed at the U.S. Government Accountability Office by Sierra Nevada Corporation. The agency recognizes that failure to provide the CCtCap transportation service as soon as […]

Boeing, SpaceX told to stop work under crew contracts, Spaceflight Now “NASA has directed Boeing and SpaceX to halt activities under contracts awarded last month to build commercial space taxis to ferry astronauts to the the International Space Station while the U.S. Government Accountability Office reviews a protest of NASA’s contract decision filed by Sierra Nevada Corp.” Sierra Nevada Protests Commercial Crew Award, earlier post

Sierra Nevada Corporation Develops Design for Stratolaunch Air Launch System for Low Earth Orbit “Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) today announced a design for an integrated system for human spaceflight that can be launched to low Earth orbit (LEO) using Stratolaunch System’s air launch architecture and a scale version of SNC’s Dream Chaser(R) spacecraft.”

SNC Announces First Orbital Flight of Dream Chaser “Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announces that it has confirmed that the first orbital flight of its Dream Chaser(R) Space System will occur on November 1, 2016. Dream Chaser will be brought to orbit on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket that is being built in Decatur, Alabama and will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.” Keith’s note: So … who is […]

SNC and ESA Sign MOU on Dream Chaser “ESA and American company Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), have signed an understanding to identify areas of collaboration with European industry for developing hardware and mission concepts for the Dream Chaser orbital transportation system” Sierra Nevada Corporation Announces International Expansion of the Dream Chaser Space System “As the only lifting-body, low-g reentry spacecraft with the capability to land on commercial runways, anywhere in […]

Keith’s note: SNC is having a media telecon tday at 11:30 am EDT. Follow @NASAWatch for tweets. Note that the video ends just before landing. Odd. You can see that the left gear was not deploying properly. Keith’s update: According to SNC’s Mark Sirangelo the Dream Chaser flight on Saturday achieved 99% of what was planned. The prime purpose was to see if the vehicle would fly. It did – […]