Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) received NASA’s Authority to Proceed for the Dream Chaser spacecraft’s first mission, with a launch window set for late 2020. The mission will provide cargo resupply to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services Contract 2 (CRS2).

“SNC has been successfully completing critical design milestones as approved by NASA, and having a timetable for the first launch is another important step achieved for us,” said Mr.Fatih Özmen, owner and CEO of SNC. “The team has worked so hard to get to this point and we can’t wait to fulfill this mission for NASA.”

Key Mission Capabilities:

Delivers up to 5,500 kg (12,125lb) of pressurized and unpressurized supplies and scientific research payloads

Remains attached to the space station for extended periods so that crew can transfer cargo and perform science laboratory operations  

Flying laboratory that allows scientists to send commands, receive data in real-time

Powered payload science experiments can operate continuously during the mission

Critical science is conducted from the pressurized cabin (crew-tended or autonomous)

Unpressurized cargo/experiments are transferred to or from the space station via robotic operations

Returns up to 2000kg of cargo via pinpoint landing at NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) for immediate post-landing handover to customer, maximizing the integrity of data collected on-orbit      

“The Dream Chaser is going to be a tremendous help to the critical science and research happening on the space station,” said Mr. Mark Sirangelo, executive vice president of SNC’s Space Systems business area. “Receiving NASA’s Authority to Proceed is a big step for the program. We can’t wait to see the vehicle return to Kennedy Space Center to a runway landing, allowing immediate access to the science payloads being returned from the station.”