The Huntsville International Airport recently applied for a FAA license to land Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser spacecraft.
Unlike NASA’s orbiter fleet that is now retired, Dream Chaser is based on a aerodynamic design that allows the entire aircraft to act as the wing. It has small winglets that allow it to have directional stability, but its major advantage is the higher lift-to-drag ratio. This gives it a variety of landing zones previously inaccessible to NASA’s old shuttle program.
As reported by WHNT News, this is the second phase in the quest to bring the spacecraft to Alabama. In the first phase, the runway and taxiway environments of Huntsville’s airport had to be tested against the capabilities of Dream Chaser.
Now that the city is moving into the second phase, Huntsville International Airport Executive Director Rick Tucker said,
“The preliminary study proved the feasibility of landing so now we are pleased to announce that we have initiated the permitting process with the FAA. This is much more than an economic development project that will bring additional business to the airport and the community. This represents a shared vision of Huntsville as a leader in the commercial space economy as the first community to make a commitment to this vehicle and its role in space commerce.”
The FAA permitting process is expected to take up to 24 months. However, Huntsville is the first international airport to take part in the process.
In a statement by SNC’s Vice President of Business Relations, John Roth said,
“We are very excited to be working with Huntsville as the first commercial airport that will apply for a FAA permit to land Dream Chaser after an orbital mission. We feel that the ability to land a space mission on a commercial runway anywhere in the world is a big advantage of our vehicle and will bring space up close and personal to thousands of people who can come out and see the landings.”
Departing from the way space exploration was conducted in the past, there is an increasing interest in the private sector. Companies like Space X are now developing technology that they hope will make space travel accessible to the general public in the coming years.
With Huntsville being an epicenter for space and rocket development, winning a contract with Dream Chaser would bring national attention to the state.
