KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Sierra Space has signed contracts with undisclosed national security and commercial customers to fly payloads on the first orbital mission of its Dream Chaser spaceplane. The company announced the agreements on September 2, adding new payloads to a debut mission that has faced years of delays.
The reusable, uncrewed spacecraft, named Tenacity, is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket. The mission will conduct multiday operations in low Earth orbit before Tenacity returns to Earth and lands on a runway at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Unlike traditional cargo spacecraft that use parachutes or splash down in the ocean, Dream Chaser is designed to land on a runway. If successful, the mission will mark the first orbital flight of a winged spacecraft since NASA retired the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011.
From ISS Mission to Free-Flyer Demonstration
Dream Chaser was originally selected by NASA in 2016 under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) program to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. The contract called for at least seven resupply missions.
However, technical delays, including issues involving the spacecraft's propulsion system and launch vehicle readiness, repeatedly pushed the program back.
In September 2025, NASA and Sierra Space revised the agreement. The seven-mission guarantee was dropped, and Tenacity's first flight was changed from an ISS docking mission into an independent free-flyer demonstration in low Earth orbit.
The multiday mission will demonstrate Dream Chaser's capabilities before NASA considers future station resupply orders.
One Spacecraft, Multiple Customers
Sierra Space said the mission will be the first to combine national security, commercial and civil payloads, including NASA cargo under the Cargo Resupply Services program, on a single spacecraft.
The company has not disclosed the national security or commercial customers or the specific payloads. Sierra Space is still finalizing the full manifest and has not set a firm launch date. The flight is targeted for later in 2026.
The schedule will also depend on the readiness of ULA's Vulcan Centaur, which experienced a solid rocket booster anomaly during a mission in early 2026.
Dream Chaser Capabilities
Dream Chaser is designed for high reusability and mission flexibility. Its wings fold inside a standard rocket payload fairing during launch and deploy once in orbit. Sierra Space says the spacecraft is designed to be reused up to 15 times.
The vehicle can carry payloads with partial space certification rather than full environmental qualification, which Sierra Space says can reduce development costs and speed deployment. It can also use a detachable cargo module for different pressurized and unpressurized configurations.
Dream Chaser is designed for autonomous reentry and a runway landing with forces below 1.5 g, helping protect sensitive payloads and equipment.
Sierra Space said it has completed environmental testing, command and telemetry validation, and runway recovery rehearsals for Tenacity.
Sierra Space CEO Dan Jablonsky said Dream Chaser has evolved into a strategic capability serving national security, civil and commercial customers on the same platform.
Dan Polis, senior vice president of engineering and Dream Chaser at Sierra Space, highlighted the development of the spacecraft's deployable wings, hypersonic flight control, autonomous reentry and low-force runway landing.
Tenacity is now being prepared for its first orbital flight while Sierra Space completes the mixed payload manifest.
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