Sierra Nevada has partnered with air launch start-up Stratolaunch Systems to integrate its Dream Chaser capsule after being rejected by NASA.
Stratolaunch has been designing an aircraft-based launcher for a number of years and, in 2013, it brought in…
Sierra Nevada has partnered with air launch start-up Stratolaunch Systems to integrate its Dream Chaser capsule after being rejected by NASA.
Stratolaunch has been designing an aircraft-based launcher for a number of years and, in 2013, it brought in US manufacturer Orbital Sciences to help build it.
Its new partnership will explore a human spaceflight capability, as well as satellite launch options and point-to-point transportation.
Chuck Beames, an executive director at Stratolaunch, said: “Combining a scaled version of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser with the Stratolaunch air launch system could provide a highly responsive capability with the potential to reach a variety of LEO destinations and return astronauts or payloads to a US runway within 24 hours.”
Sierra Nevada had been in the running for NASA’s US$6.8bn worth of Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts, which the space agency awarded to Boeing and SpaceX.
The privately-held group recently filed a legal challenge after missing out on the award, claiming inconsistencies in the source selection process.
More specifically, Sierra Nevada alleged that the CCtCap contract prioritised price as the primary evaluation criteria for the proposals, and that its Dream Chaser vehicle bid represented the second-lowest priced offer, significantly less than Boeing’s.
Sierra Nevada estimates that, with the current awards, the US government would spend up to US$900m more than it would have if NASA had selected its proposition.
The filing seeks a further detailed review and evaluation of the submitted proposals and capabilities. The Government Accountability Officer has until 5 January 2015 to decide on the challenge.