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NASA Awards Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser an ISS Commercial Resupply Contract (examiner.com)

Posted by samzenpus on from the fill-it-up dept.

MarkWhittington writes: The Verge reported that NASA has awarded the second round of contracts for the commercial resupply program. Two companies, SpaceX, and Orbital Sciences, which have been hauling cargo to the International Space Station in the first phase of the program, will receive contracts to fly at least six flights each to the ISS through 2024, the anticipated end of operations year for the space station. But Sierra Nevada has also gotten a six flight commitment, using a cargo version of its Dream Chaser spacecraft.

2 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. Horray for spaceships that fly! by XXongo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Cool! It will be great to see some winged spacecraft again!

  2. Essentially a ULA contract? by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Am I reading this wrong or is this essentially a contract to ULA by proxy as the Dream Chaser is launched atop an Altas V? ULA had the CST-100 in development as their direct crew / cargo craft but it was knocked out of competition.

    So unless I'm mistaken this end up being a contract for the 3 main launch systems, SpaceX, Orbital Sciences and ULA.