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. The Draft EA analyzed Sierra Space Corporation’s proposed reentry operations of its Dream Chaser vehicle at the SLF. Due to updates to Sierra Space’s Vehicle Operator License application, the FAA is publishing a revised Draft EA for public review. 

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.

An electronic version of the Draft EA is available on this website for download here.

Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Draft EA, the FAA would issue a vehicle operator license to Sierra Space for reentry operations of the Dream Chaser vehicle at the Shuttle Landing Facility and Vandenberg Space Force Base.

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.

Comments on the Draft EA

The FAA released the Revised Draft Environmental Assessment for the Sierra Space Dream Chaser Vehicle Operator License at the Shuttle Landing Facility, Brevard County, Florida and Contingency Reentry Site at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Santa Barbara County, California (Draft EA) for public review and comment on July 10, 2024. 

The public comment period closed on August 9, 2024. All comments received during the comment period will be given equal weight and be taken into consideration in the preparation of the Final EA.

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For more information on the environmental review process, please visit the AST NEPA Documents page.