New Sierra Space Partners Accelerate Effort to Bring Dream Chaser® Spaceplane to Japan

Sierra Space, a leading commercial space-tech company that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, announced that two additional partners will help accelerate the investigation into Spaceport Oita in Kunisaki, Oita, Japan, as a potential landing site in Asia for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser®, reaffirming its plans to expand a global network of return locations for the revolutionary new commercial spaceplane.

MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., anchor investors in Sierra Space’s Series B funding round, are joining forces with Sierra Space, Oita Prefecture, Kanematsu Corporation and Japan Airlines to conduct a comprehensive utilization and landing site study at Spaceport Oita. The consortium will work together to identify and develop new business opportunities for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser in Japan and across the Asian continent.

“Our dual-use and fully reusable Dream Chaser spaceplane will transform space travel,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. “Dream Chaser’s unique ability to land on compatible commercial runway worldwide – transporting precious cargo efficiently in a low-g landing – opens myriad, new global economic opportunities.”

“Two major Sierra Space investors, MUFG Bank, Ltd.,  and Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., will help extend the robust commercial economy we’re building in Low Earth Orbit to businesses and academic institutions in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific region. We are honored to share this vision with them, along with our partners in Oita Prefecture, Kanematsu and Japan Airlines.”

Dream Chaser – the world’s first winged commercial spacecraft – recently arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and entered into operations ahead of its first International Space Station (ISS) servicing mission. The Dream Chaser fleet is growing rapidly, with a second spaceplane under construction, and the company is eyeing multiple global partnerships to establish the following runway landing sites in addition to Oita, Japan: 

Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Space Florida holds a Launch and Reentry Site Operator License, issued by the FAA in January 2021, allowing Dream Chaser to land at Space Florida’s Launch & Landing Facility (LLF). The spaceplane, dubbed Tenacity®, will be the first spacecraft to travel from the ISS to the historic runway since Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down on the iconic landing strip in 2011. 

Spaceport Cornwall, U.K.

Sierra Space’s Memorandum of Understanding with Spaceport Cornwall in June 2021 followed the successful completion of a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) funded by the UK Space Agency that examined U.S.-U.K. regulatory framework, return mission trajectory analysis, risk analysis, environmental and infrastructure review, as well as a consideration of present and future supply chain capability. The resulting agreement specifically identifies Spaceport Cornwall as a suitable and viable landing site. 

Huntsville, Alabama

In May 2022, the FAA issued a license allowing the Huntsville International Airport in Alabama to accept landings from Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane. The FAA license evaluation process involved environmental and safety reviews; the agency will work with the Huntsville Airport to develop the necessary notifications and other procedures for safely and efficiently integrating commercial space reentries into its operations. 

Spaceport America, New Mexico

Spaceport America, located in southern New Mexico, is the most recent addition to a growing list of compatible runways worldwide where the Dream Chaser could land. The agreement was signed in June 2022. This latest addition to the portfolio solidifies Spaceport America as a versatile location, encapsulating Sierra Space’s vision of accessible space for all.

Sierra Space products and programs are working towards a more accessible space economy. As the next generation of space transportation, the first Dream Chaser is in pre-launch preparations for its inaugural cargo supply and return mission for NASA, and will deliver up to 12,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) per flight. Dream Chaser is a reusable spaceplane, uniquely capable of a smooth 1.5 low-g re-entry for crew and cargo transportation with the ability to land on existing commercial runways worldwide.