Sierra Space at Shuttle Landing Facility and Vandenberg Space Force Base Proposed Operations
Sierra Space is applying to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a Vehicle Operator License to land its Dream Chaser vehicle at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) and Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) to provide payload and cargo return services to potential government and private sector users. Sierra Space's Dream Chaser is a reusable reentry vehicle capable of carrying payloads to and from low Earth orbit. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has contracted with Sierra Space to deliver supplies to the International Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract. The Dream Chaser vehicle would be launched as payload on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V at a different site. The FAA previously analyzed the potential environmental impacts of issuing a Reentry Site Operator License (RSOL) to Space Florida for the operation of a commercial space reentry site at the SLF in the 2021 Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the Shuttle Landing Facility Reentry Site Operator License.
2021 Draft EA
The FAA previously published the Draft Environmental Assessment for Sierra Space Dream Chaser Operator License at the Shuttle Landing Facility, Brevard County, Florida (Draft EA) for public review and comment on December 21, 2021 through January 24, 2022. The Draft EA analyzed Sierra Space Corporation’s proposed reentry operations of its Dream Chaser vehicle at the SLF.
2024 Revised Draft EA
Since the 2021 Draft EA, Sierra Space Corporation added a proposal for contingency reentry (landing) operations at VSFB in Santa Barbara County, California. Sierra Space plans to reenter the Dream Chaser at the SLF; however, if the Dream Chaser is unable to safely reenter and land at the SLF, but could safely land in another location, Sierra Space would conduct a reentry at VSFB. The FAA prepared a Revised Draft EA, which includes an analysis of Sierra Space reentry operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base and addresses all comments received on the 2021 Draft EA. The Revised Draft EA was published for public review and comment on July 10, 2024 through August 9, 2024.
An electronic version of the Revised Draft EA is available on this website for download here.
2026 Final EA
The FAA is announcing the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision (ROD) for Sierra Space Dream Chaser Vehicle Operator License at the Shuttle Landing Facility, Brevard County, Florida and at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Santa Barbara County, California (Final EA and FONSI/ROD).
The electronic versions of the Final EA and FONSI/ROD are available on this website for download.
The FAA acted as the lead agency in the preparation of the Final EA and FONSI/ROD. Under the Proposed Action, the FAA would issue a license to Sierra Space to authorize:
- Dream Chaser reentry operations at the Space Launch Facility and Vandenberg Space Force Base
- The issuance of temporary airspace closures
The successful completion of the environmental review process does not guarantee that the FAA would issue a vehicle operator license. The project must also meet all FAA safety, risk, and indemnification requirements for the appropriate license.
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For more information on the environmental review process, please visit the AST NEPA Documents page.
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