Tag: Commercial Crew
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NASA outlines why it passed over Sierra Nevada
A prototype of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser space plane conducted a taxi and approach and landing test campaign in 2013 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Another landing test is planned for March. Credit: NASA NASA cited the complexity of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser space plane and an uncertainty of when the proposed crew transport…
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GAO reaffirms NASA’s commercial crew decision
Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft (left) and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule (right) will carry U.S. astronauts between Earth and the International Space Station. Credit: Boeing/SpaceX/Spaceflight Now The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a protest filed by Sierra Nevada Corp. challenging NASA’s selection of competitors Boeing and SpaceX to build commercial human-rated space capsules to fly astronauts…
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2014’s top stories in spaceflight
The year ended with a deluge of big news, reminding us of the risks of spaceflight and the thin margins between success and failure on the final frontier. 2014 was also a year of breakthroughs in the exploration of the solar system and the future of human spaceflight. The Spaceflight Now editorial team has ranked…
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NASA gets budget hike in spending bill passed by Congress
Artist’s concept of SpaceX’s Dragon V2 crew capsule, one of two commercial vehicles contracted by NASA to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX NASA will receive $18 billion in the federal government’s 2015 budget passed by the U.S. Senate on Saturday, winning nearly all the funds the agency says it…
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Dream Chaser lines up network of public airport landing options
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has presented an overview on the wealth of potential landing site options available to its Dream Chaser spacecraft, outlining how the company could add an array of public airports – with minimum disruption – for both nominal and emergency End Of Mission (EOM) scenarios when the primary CONUS landing sites are…
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American duo complete EVA to prepare ISS for commercial crew
Two US astronauts enjoyed a busy day outside the International Space Station (ISS), conducting the second of two recent spacewalks, replacing failed components and beginning the process of reconfiguring the station for the arrival of future commercial crew vehicles. The EVA was completed after six hours and 34 minutes during Wednesday’s excursion. EVA Procedures: The…
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NASA clears commercial crew contractors to resume work
Artist’s concept of Boeing’s CST-100 crew capsule approaching the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Boeing Boeing Co. and SpaceX, selected by NASA last month to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, can resume development of their human-rated spacecraft after officials ordered a work stoppage prompted by a protest by Sierra Nevada Corp., the company left…
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Boeing, SpaceX told to stop work under crew contracts
NASA has directed Boeing and SpaceX to halt activities under contracts awarded last month to build commercial space taxis to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station while the U.S. Government Accountability Office reviews a protest of NASA’s contract decision filed by Sierra Nevada Corp. Artist’s impression of the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser crew transport…
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Dream Chaser preparing for drop test milestone
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) is just days away from its first free flight milestone. The NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) candidate is now in final preparations for its drop test that will result in her conducting an automated approach and landing at the Dryden Flight Research Center in California. Dream…
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NASA Outlines its Plans for Commercial Crew Certification
In a recent conference with its industry partners, NASA outlined the next phase of its strategy to enable the certification of commercial crew transportation systems to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The goal is to return domestic launch and transportation capability by the year 2017. Certification Strategy: Phase 1 of the certification…