Dream Chaser Passes CCiCap Initiative Milestone 7

Completes Space System Certification Plan Review

SPARKS, Nev. — –Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has announced the company recently completed its Certification Plan Review for the entire Dream Chaser® Space System (DCSS). This major accomplishment represents Milestone 7 under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement, the third phase of development under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) to develop privately owned and operated crew vehicles to access low-Earth orbit. In passing Milestone 7, the DCSS has successfully completed one of the most critical milestones on the road to Dream Chaser full design certification and outlined how SNC would operate its first crewed flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

In this milestone, SNC and NASA reviewed the overall certification strategy, and verification and validation activities for the DCSS. The DCSS systems certification review included the Dream Chaser spacecraft, the Atlas V launch vehicle, and ground and mission systems, all of which must work together before the spacecraft can transport humans. SNC delivered nearly 6,000 pages of technical support documentation and successfully met the exit criteria in its agreement for Milestone 7. The passage of this milestone confirmed SNC’s integrated certification strategy, process and plans are now complete, further documenting that the DCSS design is maturing toward compliance with the functional, performance and interface requirements to operate in its intended environments.

“The completion and validation by NASA of Milestone 7 is a major step in leading us to our first crewed, orbital flight of the Dream Chaser Space System,” said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC’s Space Systems. “We have now completed 70 percent of our CCiCap contract. With each day, each test, and each successful milestone passing, we are moving one step closer to restoring America’s place as a leader in human spaceflight building the nation’s next generation crew transportation system.”

SNC is working with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to develop an innovative, modern, flexible and highly-capable crew transportation system for the 21st Century. The DCSS provides the only reusable, lifting-body human-rated spacecraft with a commercial runway landing capability, anywhere in the world. The DCSS is on the forefront of the commercial human spaceflight industry, offering safe, reliable and cost-effective crew and critical cargo transportation to low-Earth orbit.