Sierra Nevada: Small-scale Dream Chaser on the way

Sierra Nevada Corp. announced Wednesday that it has designed a scale version of its Dream Chaser spacecraft that can launch into orbit using Stratolaunch System’s air-launch system.

SNC, which has its Space Systems Division in Louisville, has been developing Dream Chaser for the past four years as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Despite being passed over by NASA for the next round of commercial crew funding, SNC has charged forward in recent days with other plans for the versatile spacecraft, which could be used to haul crew or cargo to low-Earth orbit and return to Earth with a runway landing.

The latest announcement includes a three-passenger version of Dream Chaser.

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Founded in 2011 by philanthropist and entrepreneur Paul G. Allen, Huntsville, Ala.-based Stratolaunch Systems aims to create an air launch plane that will provide access to space at lower costs and greater safety and flexibility. It includes three primary elements: a carrier aircraft, a multi-stage rocket system and an orbital payload.

No details on terms of any deal struck between Dream Chaser and Stratolaunch were released.

“This relationship would expand our portfolio to include the highly flexible Stratolaunch system for launching reusable crewed or uncrewed spacecraft, or for rapid satellite constellation deployment,” Mark Sirangelo, head of SNC’s Space Systems, said in a release.

On Tuesday, SNC announced its Global Project initiative, a sort of commercial space program that SNC can customize for governments, businesses or academic institutions around the globe.