'Dream Chaser' Spacecraft Set to Blast Off Next Year

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By Alex Magdaleno2014-01-31 08:27:38 UTC

The private space industry is going to infinity and beyond — or at the very least, into orbit.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems announced that their spacecraft will launch on Nov. 1, 2016 in an unmanned, orbital flight, with plans to launch a manned flight in 2017.

After making a deal with United Launch Alliance — a company that provides space launch services for the U.S. government — the SNC Space Systems' craft, known as Dream Chaser, will launch attached to an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

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Two years ago, NASA committed $1.1 billion to three companies — Boeing, SpaceX and SNC Space Systems — to get astronauts flying in American spacecrafts again in what was called the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCAP) initiative. Currently, American astronauts have to tag along in Russian Soyuz capsules to get to the International Space Station, a trip that costs NASA $70.7 million per seat.

The program is entering its final phase, which will result in a contract that certifies the winning company's craft as safe to carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. Dream Chaser joins two other spacecraft vying to replace the shuttle: Boeing's CST-100 and SpaceX's Dragon.

NASA plans to award one or more contracts valued at $30 million total by September of this year.

Dream Chaser looks like a miniature version of NASA's retired Space Shuttles. It's a a nearly 30-foot long spacecraft compared to the traditional 120-foot shuttles. Though small, it's roomy — it can still carry up to seven astronauts and all of their equipment.

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Topics: NASA, space, space shuttle, U.S., US & World