Sierra Space Archives - Eastern Range

November 17, 2025

Dream Chaser Completes Testing At KSC

Sierra Space announced that its Dream Chaser spaceplane has wrapped up a series of major pre-flight tests at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, adding that the successful campaign moves the vehicle closer to its first free-flying mission. Sierra Space also said that it hopes to fly Dream Chaser on its first orbital flight in about a year, in Q4 2026.

Florida Testing

Dream Chaser completed Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility tests inside NASA’s Space Systems Processing Facility. The work confirmed that the spacecraft can operate within expected electromagnetic conditions throughout its mission profile in space.

The team also ran high speed tow tests at KSC and Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility. For this work, a Freightliner Cascadia from Daimler Truck North America pulled the spaceplane down the runway to simulate landing dynamics and validate key autonomous navigation parameters.

Dream Chaser then proved it could receive telemetry and route commands between the vehicle and Mission Control in Louisville, Colorado using NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. This milestone showed the craft is ready for real time command and control during flight.

The test series closed with a post landing recovery drill that confirmed crews can safe the vehicle and reach sensitive payloads quickly.

Next Up: More Testing And Modifications

With these steps complete, Dream Chaser is expected to enter its final acoustic testing campaign in December 2025. After that, the company plans to pursue modifications in Colorado to support national security missions. These upgrades are intended to broaden the vehicle’s role and show it can meet a wide range of defense requirements.

Dream Chaser remains on schedule for its first trip to low Earth orbit in the fourth quarter of 2026 under the CRS-2 contract, ending with a runway landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

“Every milestone reflects the grit, creativity and commitment of our team,” said Fatih Ozmen, Executive Chair at Sierra Space. “Dream Chaser is moving steadily toward its first flight and toward supporting the nation’s highest priority space needs.”

Dream Chaser Program Milestones
Year	Milestone
2004	Dream Chaser concept introduced by SpaceDev, inspired by NASA’s HL-20 lifting body design.
2008	Sierra Nevada Corporation acquires SpaceDev and continues development of Dream Chaser.
2010	Dream Chaser selected for NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program funding.
2013	First free flight approach and landing test of Dream Chaser Engineering Test Article at Edwards AFB.
2014	Completion of additional wind tunnel and structural tests, refining Dream Chaser’s aerodynamic design.
2016	NASA awards Sierra Nevada Corporation a Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract for Dream Chaser cargo missions to the ISS.
2017	Captive carry test of Dream Chaser at Edwards AFB to validate flight characteristics and systems.
2019	Final design reviews and major structural assembly progress for the first orbital Dream Chaser vehicle.
2021	Sierra Space (spun out from Sierra Nevada Corporation) continues integration and testing of Dream Chaser “Tenacity.”
2023	Major environmental and vibration tests completed on Dream Chaser and its Shooting Star cargo module.
2025	Pre-flight campaign at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, including EMI/EMC, tow tests, TDRSS command & telemetry checks, and recovery rehearsal; preparation for final acoustic testing in December 2025.
2026 (target)	Planned first launch of Dream Chaser to Low Earth Orbit under the CRS-2 contract, with runway landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

September 30, 2025

Commercial Space Stations: U.S. Firms Pushing Towards Demo Launches, Europe Bets on Partnerships

As the International Space Station nears its 2030 planned retirement, both American and European players are accelerating efforts to ensure a continued human presence in low Earth orbit (LEO). American companies are spearheading multiple commercial station projects, while Europe is increasingly aligning itself as a strategic partner in the emerging space economy.

NASA has taken a clear stance: rather than replace the ISS with another government-owned platform, it’s backing private companies to build and operate commercial stations. Through its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program, NASA is funding early design and development, with plans to purchase services as a customer once the stations are operational.

Here are where the key U.S. projects stand:

Axiom Station (Axiom Space)

Axiom will launch its first module to the ISS in 2026, marking the beginning of the Axiom Station. Only one module, the Payload Power Thermal Module (AxPPTM), will be attached to ISS. When Habitat 1 (AxH1) is launched, AxPPTM will detach from ISS and will dock with AxH1, separate from NASA’s orbiting outpost.

Axiom already has experience flying private missions to the ISS, is building new EVA spacesuits, and is one of the most advanced competitors in the commercial space station market in terms of flight readiness.

Let’s hope they come up with some friendlier names for each of the modules.

Haven-1 & Haven Demo (Vast Space)

Vast Space is building a modular station beginning with Haven-1, planned for launch in May 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. It will support short-duration missions for four crew members and is designed to operate autonomously before more complex modules are added.

Artist’s rendering of Vast-1, which is currently under construction.

Ahead of Haven-1, Vast will launch a Haven Demo mission — a critical uncrewed test flight that will validate life support systems, power, comms, and other station functions. This demo is expected in 2025 and will serve as a technological shakedown before human occupation.

No launch date has been set for Haven Demo, but launching this year is more than aspirational, given that the company announced on September 26, “Haven Demo build and test are complete, and it is now undergoing final integration for launch.”

Vast’s roadmap includes Haven-2, a larger and more capable successor, anticipated by 2028. In June 2024, Vast signed a cooperation agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA), opening the door for European astronauts and payloads to fly on its platforms.

Starlab (Voyager/Nanoracks + Airbus)

Targeting a 2029 launch, Starlab is a collaboration between U.S.-based Voyager Space and Nanoracks, with European aerospace giant Airbus as a co-developer. The station has completed major design reviews and is moving into the full production phase. Its design supports four crew members and includes laboratory space for government and commercial users. Airbus’s involvement makes this one of the most international of the U.S.-led efforts.

Orbital Reef (Blue Origin + Sierra Space)

Artist’s conception of Orbital Reef
Credit: Sierra Space

Orbital Reef, billed as a “business park in space,” is being developed with a mix of partners, including Blue Origin, Sierra Space, Boeing, and others. The plan includes large inflatable habitat modules (Sierra’s LIFE system) and facilities for research, tourism, and manufacturing. It’s an ambitious project, but it is still in its design stages.

No advanced design review or acceptance meetings have been announced, and no metal has been bent to create a first flight module for Orbital Reef. The project partners have a stated 2027 goal, but does not seem to be a priority for some of them at this point in time.

Europe: Infrastructure, Access, and Industry Roles

While Europe lacks a flagship commercial space station project of its own, ESA is actively engaging through industrial support and international partnerships.

Airbus in Starlab: The European aerospace leader plays a central role in the development of Starlab, ostensibly to ensure that European technology is integrated into the next generation of orbital stations.
ESA–Vast Agreement: ESA’s memorandum of understanding with Vast signals a shift toward broader collaboration with commercial operators outside of Europe, giving ESA member states potential crew and science access aboard Haven-class stations.
Cargo Return Services: ESA has also contracted Thales Alenia Space (Italy) and The Exploration Company (Germany) to develop LEO cargo return vehicles by 2028–2030. These efforts support future station resupply and science return — capabilities vital for any long-term orbital presence.
Exploratory Talks with Blue Origin: ESA is reportedly in talks to integrate European hardware or services into Orbital Reef, another sign of the agency’s pivot toward cooperative participation in commercial platforms rather than duplicating them.

Outlook: High Stakes, Compressed Timelines

With ISS operations expected to wind down by the end of the decade, time is tight. NASA and its commercial partners face a complex mix of engineering, regulatory, and financial hurdles. The recent postponement of NASA’s next CLD solicitation reflects industry-wide uncertainty and a need for clearer demand signals.

Meanwhile, Europe’s more cautious strategy — focused on access, partnerships, and enabling infrastructure — may prove prudent if their own efforts with Starlab stutter. At the same time, it also risks leaving Europe dependent on foreign platforms unless greater independence is pursued.

That means money, and it is in short supply these days, as the ESA budget has flattened: €7.68 billion ($7.91 billion) in 2025, down about 1.4% from the €7.79 billion the agency had allocated for 2024.

Stay Tuned…

If early stations like Haven-1 and Axiom Station succeed, the LEO economy could expand quickly in the 2030s, with multiple platforms offering access to governments, scientists, private astronauts, and commercial industries alike.

There are surely some potholes in the road to space for all of the companies. Not only do they have to create a spacecraft that will reliably keep its occupants alive, but they will also need to establish supply chains (resupply missions) and operational groups to manage it all. It’s a daunting task for anyone.

So, as always, stay tuned, there is a lot more to come, but things are about to start getting interesting.

September 25, 2025

Dream Chaser Flight Delayed Until Late 2026

In a shift for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program, the agency and Sierra Space announced today a mutual agreement to modify their contract concerning the Dream Chaser spaceplane.

Instead of committing to a series of resupply missions, Sierra Space will now focus on a free-flight demonstration targeted for late 2026, while NASA will provide only minimal support for the remaining development phase.

Under the revised agreement NASA is no longer bound to purchase a defined number of resupply missions from Sierra Space. If the free-flight demonstration is successful, NASA retains the option to contract later resupply missions via the current framework.

NASA’s involvement will scale back to a minimal supporting role for the remainder of the project and the demonstration itself.

“Development of new space transportation systems is difficult and can take longer than what’s originally planned. The ability to perform a flight demonstration can be a key enabler in a spacecraft’s development and readiness, as well as offering greater flexibility for NASA and Sierra Space,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program.

“As NASA and its partners look toward space station deorbit in 2030, this mutually agreed to decision enables testing and verification to continue on Dream Chaser, as well as demonstrating the capabilities of the spaceplane for future resupply missions in low Earth orbit.”

Dream Chaser was born out of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, initiated in 2010. NASA awarded Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the original developer of Dream Chaser, over $300 million across multiple Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) phases.

In 2016, NASA selected Dream Chaser under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract, alongside SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. NASA committed to at least six resupply missions to the ISS using Dream Chaser, starting no earlier than 2020, later delayed to 2023, then 2024, and now late 2026.

The Dream Chaser cargo variant, called Tenacity, was designed specifically to fulfill these missions and was slated to fly on one of the United Launch Alliance Vulcan certification flights. Those Vulcan flights have come and gone, and Tenacity has remained at Kennedy Space Center, ostensibly in preparation for its maiden flight. At this point in time, it is unclear if the spacecraft will remain here in Florida, or will return to Sierra’s facilities while work on Tenacity is completed.

Vulcan Cert 2 liftoff — Vulcan Cert 2 lifts off with a dummy payload instead of Dream Chaser in October of 2024.
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Now, under the revised agreement, NASA’s role is being reduced to minimal support, as Sierra Space leads the flight demo independently. If successful, NASA may still procure future cargo flights, but it is no longer obligated to do so.

This leaves Dream Chaser with an uncertain future: it is clearly having problems finalizing its development, and once that development is completed, there is no guarantee that NASA will be a customer. Given that ISS operations are slated to end in 2030, the space agency may opt to pass on the Dream Chaser entirely and continue to rely on SpaceX and Northrop Grumman’s proven platforms instead to retire risks in ISS logistics.

Should that come to pass, Sierra Space could have a completed orbital spacecraft with no immediate customers. That’s the bad news. The good news is that an offering of supply services aboard an already certified platform that is launcher-agnostic might be compelling to commercial space station vendors, provided the price is right.

January 29, 2025

Dream Chaser Completes Critical Testing Milestone With NASA

Sierra Space announced today it has successfully completed and passed a critical integrated testing milestone in collaboration with NASA on the Dream Chaser spaceplane orbiter Tenacity.

Among the tests that were completed were Dream Chaser’s ability to power-on, air-cool, and exchange data with multiple powered payloads inside its pressurized cabin. The tests were conducted at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“Tests like these are critical demonstrations of the capabilities of the Dream Chaser spaceplane and confirms our ability to handle specialized payloads such as vital scientific research that will be integral to our mission to the ISS,” said Pablo Gonzalez, Vice President of Crew & Cargo Transportation Systems at Sierra Space.

He added that, “This milestone highlights Dream Chaser’s flexibility, reliability, and capability to meet the diverse needs of our payload customers – including NASA and commercial partners – and it brings us another step closer to launch.”

During the testing, three payloads were evaluated, all of which are intended for the Dream Chaser’s first official mission, dubbed DCC-1.

Polar: A sophisticated cryogenic preservation system developed by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, designed to store scientific samples under precise temperature conditions from -95°C to +10°C.
Powered Ascent Utility Locker (PAUL): Created by Space Tango, this facility accommodates two CubeLab experiments that require power during their ascent phase, focusing on critical biological research.
NASA’s Single Stowage Locker: A standard equipment storage solution thinly designed to carry various experiments and materials during transport in the Dream Chaser.

Passing the tests demonstrates Dream Chaser’s capability to carry various payloads, meet those payloads environmental requirements and to provide power within specified limits. The tests also demonstrated Dream Chaser’s ability to communicate with the Sierra Space control room in Colorado as well as the payload support center at NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama.

At this time, it appears that Dream Chaser is on track for a launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket later this year.

June 26, 2024

Dream Chaser Won’t Be Ready for ULA’s Vulcan CERT-2 Flight

In an announcement today, United Launch Alliance stated that Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser is off of the second flight of ULA’s Vulcan rocket.

Statement from United Launch Alliance, June 26, 2024

On the X platform today, ULA said “We have been working closely with our current VulcanRocket Cert2 customer, Sierra Space, and while ULA will be ready to fly, Sierra Space has shared that they are making excellent progress with Dream Chaser but have schedule risk to fly by that time.”

They added, “Based on this delay and urgent national security needs, we are prioritizing the Cert2 mission to enable certification to launch our first National Security Space mission.

“We plan to fly an inert payload, experiments, and demonstrations the #Cert2 mission.

“We are working with Sierra Space to identify the next available launch date.”

ULA concluded that they are “[A]ware of the heightened threat environment the nation is facing in space and takes seriously the critical responsibility of launching essential National Security Space satellite assets to orbit promptly.”

For their part, at the time of this writing, Sierra Space has made no statement regarding the matter.

The move, however, makes a lot of sense for all parties: ULA needs to fly Vulcan a second time successfully to achieve certification from the Department of Defense to fly national security payloads aboard Vulcan. That in turn would allow ULA to fulfill its contracted obligations and to get its backlogged manifest of DoD launches in process.

ULA has received the booster for Vulcan CERT-2, and it is being processed at the company’s facilities in Florida, but it has yet to announce a target launch date for the vehicle.

For Sierra Space, the move relieves schedule pressure to some degree and allows them time to focus on ensuring that no stones are left unturned in the lead-up to Dream Chaser’s maiden spaceflight. Given that the Tenacity spacecraft that will fly the mission is also planned to be re-used, its critical for Sierra to have a successful launch and landing of the spacecraft.

May 9, 2024

Sierra Space Dream Chaser Finishes Testing, Coming Soon To The Cape

Artist’s rendition of Dream Chaser Tenacity on orbit.
Graphic: Sierra Space

The maiden flight of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser is a step closer to happening, according to a statement released by the company today. In a press release, Sierra said that that Tenacity — the first flight model of Dream Chaser– ashieved “the successful completion of a rigorous environmental test suite on the Dream Chaser spaceplane, at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.”

“Successful completion of an incredibly rigorous environmental testing campaign in close partnership with NASA is a significant milestone and puts Dream Chaser on track for operations later this year,” said Sierra Space CEO, Tom Vice. “This is the year that we transition from rigorous research and development to regular orbital operations and – in doing so – transform the way we connect space and Earth.”

Dream Chaser Tenacity
Photo: Sierra Space

Tenacity underwent shock, vibration, and thermal vacuum testing at Armstrong to verify its abilities to withstand the rigors of ascent aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan-Centaur rocket, as well as on-orbit operations after separation from the rocket that boosted it to orbit. The testing took several months and was recently completed, leading to the company’s announcement today.

Sierra Space said that, “The two vehicles were then stacked in launch configuration on the world’s most powerful spacecraft shaker table inside the test center’s Mechanical Vibration Facility. Sine vibration testing – conducted over a five-week period – simulated the intense conditions and environment of a launch on a Vulcan Centaur rocket.”

“After vibe testing concluded, the teams conducted another shock test – this time with the flight separation system between Dream Chaser and Shooting Star – to simulate the dynamic environment during separation of the two vehicles prior to de-orbit and re-entry.”

They added, “Next, the Sierra Space and NASA test teams transported the vehicles to the In-Space Propulsion Facility at Armstrong for thermal vacuum or “T-VAC” testing.

“Temperatures in space can range from the extremely cold – hundreds of degrees below freezing – to several hundred degrees Fahrenheit due to radiation from the sun. TVAC testing is a realistic thermal simulation of the flight environment and critical to ensuring mission success,” Sierra said.

“For more than five weeks, Dream Chaser and Shooting Star were subjected to multiple cold-hot cycles in a vacuum environment, between -150F to +250F, with teams conducting functional tests at temperature plateaus to verify system performance. “

Next, Tenacity will be transported to the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at Kennedy Space Center for integration and further preparations for launch. According to Sierra, “Remaining work on the thermal protection system will also be completed there.”

A Blue Origin BE-4 being mated to ULA’s second Vulcan Rocket, dubbed CERT-2 in April, 2024
Photo: Tory Bruno on X.

After those steps are completed, the launch campaign can begin in earnest. Sierra Space says that they remain on track for a 2024 launch of Tenacity, and for their part of the mission, United Launch Alliance is finishing assembly of the Vulcan-Centaur rocket that will deliver Tenacity to orbit.

If successful, this second flight will complete Vulcan’s certification for Department of Defense payloads, giving the mission additional importance above and beyond Dream Chaser’s debut. Currently, the launch is slated for late Q3 or early Q4 of this year.

March 15, 2024

Dream Chaser Arrives In Ohio For Thermal Testing; Last Stop Before It Comes To The Cape

Dream Chaser”Tenacity”
Photo: Sierra Nevada

Sierra Space announced today on the X platform that its Dream Chaser “Tenacity” orbiter has arrived at “NASA’s Armstrong In-Space Propulsion facility in Ohio for thermal vacuum testing. This will be its last testing phase in Ohio before it makes its way to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.” The Armstrong test facility is part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Robert Vess, a lecturer in mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., installing twindow flange trim on a full-size engineering model of the HL-20 lifting body in 1990. The model was built by NCSU and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, Greensboro, N.C. Photo: NASA

A Long Path To The Launch Pad

Dream Chaser is the company’s reusable lifting-body spaceplane based on NASA’s HL-20 Personnel Launch System, first studied by NASA Langley in 1990. That spacecraft was intended to ferry astronauts to the proposed Space Station Freedom, which eventually evolved into the International Space Station.

While no flight hardware for the HL-20 was ever built by NASA, the idea of a relatively low-cost, lifting-body design that could land on conventional runways persisted. Both Orbital Sciences (now Northrup-Grumman) and SpaceDev (now Sierra Space) proposed HL-20 derivatives for ferrying crews and supplies to the ISS.

Orbital never built its version, called “Prometheus,” a Blended Lifting Body (BLB) spacecraft, after failing to be selected for a CCDev phase 2 award by NASA. Afterward, Orbital announced that it was winding down its effort to build a commercial spacecraft and discontinued the program.

Sierra, for its part, also faced selection hurdles: its design for a crewed Dream Chaser was not selected by NASA for the final phase of development of commercial crew (CCtCap). The company persisted, however, and NASA selected a cargo-only version of Dream Chaser for its Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) program.

Crewed variant of Dream Chaser landing in 2017 after a drop test.
Photo: Sierra Nevada

Space Flight Nearly In Sight

“We are coming out of years of development, years of hard work and years of resolving tough engineering challenges that come from revolutionary new ways of doing things,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice last month.

If it tests successfully at the Armstrong Test Facility, Dream Chaser will make its maiden flight sometime in 2024 on top of a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket.