FAA Posts Sierra Space Dream Chaser Proposed Project Information

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) developed a project website for the public to learn more about Sierra Space Corporation’s proposed plan to land its Dream Chaser reentry vehicle at the Space Florida Shuttle Landing Facility in Titusville, Florida.

People interested in the project can subscribe to receive project updates and information about opportunities for public involvement.

The Dream Chaser is a reusable reentry vehicle and would be launched as payload on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from a different site. Sierra Space has a contract with NASA to carry supplies to and from the International Space Station.

This proposed project is currently in the pre-application consultation phase. Once the FAA receives Sierra Space’s license application, the agency will begin its license evaluation process.

This includes reviews on safety, environmental impacts, airspace integration, policy, payload and financial responsibility in accordance with FAA regulations and the National Environmental Policy Act. The FAA will make a license determination only after it completes all reviews.

Space Florida is the state-chartered spaceport authority and received an FAA-issued Launch and Reentry Site Operator License for the SLF in January 2021.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.