The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has given the go ahead to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to begin full-scale production of it’s “Dream Chaser” commercial space cargo plane.
SNC is a seeming leader in solving the world’s toughest challenges through advanced engineering technologies in Space Systems, Commercial Solutions, and National Security and Defence.
It is recognised among the world’s most innovative companies in space, delivering tailored solutions to government and commercial customers, with applications in space exploration and satellites, aircraft integrations, navigation and guidance systems, threat detection and security, scientific research and infrastructure protection.
Their drive to dream, innovate and inspire has fueled the corporation’s steady expansion from their headquarters in Nevada to 33 locations around the globe. SNC is a team of nearly 4,000 people—from scientists and cybersecurity experts to software engineers and former military leaders—united in support of their customers’ needs.
Today, we are shaping the trajectory of space travel. Tomorrow, their technology could be redefining the standard for emergency care to service personnel on the battlefield.
Scheduled to make its first mission in 2020, the company announced on December 18 that it had cleared the last milestone in its Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract. Now the company is able to move ahead with the full-scale production of the carrier which will be used to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Dream Chaser was originally conceptualised for NASA’s commercial crew programme but ultimately sidelined by NASA in favour of designs from Boeing and SpaceX. A redesigned version of the original Dream Chaser, the cargo version includes fold-able wings and is capable of carrying 5,500 kilograms (approximately 12125 lbs) of cargo to the International Space Station and return 1,850 kilograms (approximately 4078 lbs) to Earth in a runway landing.
SNC was one of three companies, alongside SpaceX and Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems), to receive a commercial cargo contract from NASA in 2016. The contract guarantees each corporation at least six missions to the ISS.
Various components of the full-scale Dream Chaser have already been produced and tested. At a conference last October, Steve Lindsey, Steve Lindsey, Vice President for Space Exploration Systems at SNC said he expected to be “the majority of the way through” assembly and testing of the first Dream Chaser by next October.
High launch costs are one of the most limiting factors in commercial space operations. Increased competition between corporations is helping to reduce the cost of launches opening new doors for smaller companies.
“When those launch vehicle prices come down — which, by the way, is about 80 percent of our costs on every mission we fly — that opens up the commercial market,” said Lindsey. As both competition and innovation increase, companies will face new pressure to stake their claim among the stars.
