Sierra Nevada Corp Still Has High Hopes For The Dream Chaser

The competition was experienced and well-funded, but Sierra Nevada Corp still felt it had a really good shot at getting a Commercial Crew contract from NASA as it looks to stop relying on Russia for transportation to the International Space Station.

It didn't happen that way, of course. Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts to develop Commercial Crew capability with capsules that splash down in the ocean, and SNC ... with it's mini-shuttle that lands on a runway ... was left out of the party.

The Washington Post reports in an in-depth piece about the competition and its aftermath that the company was ready to fight NASA when the winning bids were announced. They did succeed in getting the bidding reopened, but last September, they again came up short, according to NASA at least.

But SNC is still bullish on its space plane. The company has pitched Dream Chaser to space agencies in other countries, and recently completed a study that could have European astronauts transported to ISS under the auspices of the German Aerospace Center. They are also looking at a space tourism plan that would take clients into low-Earth orbit, rather than the sub-orbital flights planned by Virgin Galactic.

The company has also bid on a cargo contract with NASA to carry supplies to ISS, which is expected to be announced in June. While there is plenty of competition for the deal, SNCorp's VP and head of Space Systems Mark Sirangelo says not trying was not an option. "We're not made up that way," he told the paper.

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