At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022, Sierra Space unveiled a prototype spacecraft named Dream Chaser, capable of carrying 6 people into space.
Based in Colorado, USA, Sierra Space has reached an agreement with NASA for resupply flights to the International Space Station (ISS) this year. The Dream Chaser spacecraft was originally designed for cargo transport as part of a contract, but in a recent statement at CES 2022, Sierra Space revealed they are upgrading the vehicle to carry humans into space, officially entering the space tourism race.
Close-up of the Dream Chaser spacecraft with a capacity of 6 passengers. (Photo: AFP).
With a length of approximately 9 meters, the Dream Chaser can carry a crew of 6 from Earth to commercial facilities in low Earth orbit that Sierra Space plans to develop over the next decade.
The company has signed a contract with Blue Origin to develop a private space station called Orbital Reef. Blue Origin aims to transform Orbital Reef into a commercial hub in space, offering services in manufacturing, business, entertainment, sports, and adventure tourism.
“We see a wide-open market to attract more and more people into space,” said Neeraj Gupta, Director of Advanced Development at Sierra Space, in an interview with AFP.
A Dream Chaser prototype tested in 2013. (Photo: AFP).
Last month, NASA awarded over $415 million to three contractors—Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and Nanoracks—to develop privately owned and operated commercial space stations, aimed at boosting the U.S.-led commercial economy in low Earth orbit as the iconic International Space Station “retires” at the end of this decade.
With the space race heating up, Dream Chaser designers hope their reusable spacecraft will usher in a new era of commercializing space tourism and exploration. The first space flight of Dream Chaser could take place by the end of 2022.
