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We can definitely bring it to a crew capability. We are going to see how the two companies that got crew contracts are faring in the next couple of years. That is going to give us a better feel for how difficult it will be to certify these vehicles and how difficult or easy it will be to take people up there. It is definitely possible and we would love to do that someday. We can do an in-space crew version. That was one of the NASA contracts we won in the space shuttle days when they were debating cargo, crew, lifeboats — all these different things.
There were variations on the crew capability. That may be the stepping stone. Just park it up there and if some crisis happens, you can rescue the crew and bring them down to land at an airport. That capability is a lot easier than taking them up there, as far as the risks and certification are concerned. We are looking at all those capabilities to get to the finish line. We see bringing a crew to any runway where a commercial airplane can land as a huge advantage over the capsules. We are building credibility and confidence every time we meet milestones. We are not in a hurry.
We want to do it the right way and we will take our time to get that right. We would love to see a crewed version of Dream Chaser sometime in the future.
We are talking about industries and space agencies. They are making investments on their own part. We bring it together. We leverage what exists around the world.
The Dream Chaser Cargo System is an American reusable lifting body spaceplane being developed by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems. Sierra Nevada is bringing its Dream Chaser to the 34th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April Credit: NASA.
We are a best-of-the-breed integrator. We bring the best solution that makes sense — not what we build, but what is the best and the most capable system. We try to do as much as possible outside of the house. We find the best experts and bring them to the table. We are financially very stable right now. Yes, it is nerve-wracking. We have never done it. We took the company from really nothing to a multibillion dollar company without borrowing money.
Financially, we are very healthy but we are basically putting all our earnings and life savings into Dream Chaser and programs like this. They are really not profitable. And then on the conventional side, the Tier 1 companies are risk averse and they have to be. They have to be very careful how much money they invest to turn a profit.
We can get the best of both worlds and leverage this. There is a lot more we can do, but we are waiting for the dust to settle. NASA leadership is not established yet. The National Space Council just started.
The National Space Strategy was just released. We are going cautiously right now while still making sure we are involved in these deep space programs. There are a lot of good things happening with the current leadership of Air Force space, DoD and the intelligence community. We have to cooperate.
We have to do things differently. I hope part of this critical infrastructure we are trying to build will go to space.
Budgets went up but the plan is still not clear. The right infrastructure in space — space stations and transportation systems — would stimulate that new space economy. There is tremendous potential. The government has done that successfully in the past.
It put in railroads to stimulate the economy and get everybody to the next level. With the right public-private partnership approach, which NASA has done successfully on the commercial crew programs, there is a lot of potential. The critical infrastructure in space will help not just the commercial side, but the national security side as well.
And bringing international partners onboard will help the U. If we are not proactive, China is going to build a space station and everybody will go in that direction. And somebody else is going to go to the moon and somebody else will land on Mars.
That infrastructure investment is very important. Both the classified and unclassified capabilities that we have in the small satellite area. They are a part of an architecture that we are developing. These things are not all independent. For instance, Dream Chaser can launch small satellites and small satellites can be part of a network. We need an integrated approach. Not just low Earth orbit or airborne or deep space.
We need full awareness and everything needs to play together. Smallsats are part of that equation. Our interest in space started with small satellites. In , we made three different acquisitions all in space. The first was MicroSat, a smallsat company with a great capability.
We could not convince anybody that that was the way to go. We were talking about the threats that people are talking about now, how vulnerable big satellites are and how small satellites could help. The Dream Chaser investment is already paying off. Dream Chaser is built into a common interoperable architecture. That is part of the bigger picture. Most the hardware and software is going to be the same. A replacement for space station is very much on the table right now, which gives us a very short period to look for options.
After the first mission, we will have more opportunities to reduce the cost because a significant cost of our mission is the launch. Archived from the original on July 31, Retrieved December 3, InSight healthy, prepares for a two Earth year… November 29, Our public relations campaign has not been a priority for us. We are building credibility and confidence every time we meet milestones.
How are you going to transition from the space station into other things? Whether commercial companies would take over, which is not likely because it is an aging asset and very expensive to maintain. We are looking for ways to partner with other companies to create an percent solution for 20 percent of the cost and schedule. Instead of paying billions of dollars to maintain an aging asset, you can put those dollars into research, satellite servicing, robotic arms, 3D manufacturing, and debris cleanup. There is so much that can be done. A Dream Chaser-type of capability could do all those things.
It can stay in space for months at a time. It can become a small laboratory. There are so many possibilities. A key discriminator between Dream Chaser and our competitors is that we are the only rocket-agnostic space vehicle. We are not married to any particular program. With Dream Chaser, we have a lot of partnerships internationally. We have applications across the board, from the United Nations to working with pharmaceutical companies.
Dream Chaser lands like the space shuttle did and it leverages all the lessons learned over the years into a next-generation spaceplane. Our public relations campaign has not been a priority for us. We keep our heads down and focus on getting things done. All Chinese European Russian. Long March 2D lofts Shiyan-6 mission and co-passengers November 19, InSight healthy, prepares for a two Earth year… November 29, International trio arrive… December 2, Russian Rokot launch vehicle lofts three military satellites November 29, Russian EVA examines hole repair area on Soyuz Falcon 9 successfully lofts CRS Dragon enroute to Falcon Heavy success paves the way for open access to space beyond Earth.
Virgin Galactic preparing for busy LauncherOne future June 30, Soyuz independence drive continues as CCP companies progress March 3, Commercial Space should be serious about