FlightGlobal
• Jon Hemmerdinger
The FAA has approved Dream Chaser for reentry, a regulatory step for Sierra Space’s spaceplane. Its first mission is planned to include a simulated berthing with the International Space Station, testing a key part of the vehicle’s intended cargo-delivery mission.
Commercial Space
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The FAA has approved Dream Chaser for reentry, a regulatory step for Sierra Space’s spaceplane. Its first mission is planned to include a simulated berthing with the International Space Station, testing a key part of the vehicle’s intended cargo-delivery mission.
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The prospect of robotic spacecraft extracting valuable materials from asteroids is moving, slowly, from science fiction toward reality. A future influx of asteroid-derived platinum could disrupt the metal’s market, while the article frames that outcome as beneficial for Earth.
Newly elected Democrats are expected to challenge President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Golden Dome missile shield and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, according to the article. The focus puts both a major defense initiative and a prominent commercial space company on the incoming Congress’s political agenda, though the article gives no details on specific actions.
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SpaceX is scheduled to launch Starship Flight 15 on Nov. 13, with the mission set to attempt the vehicle’s first-ever double catch. The coverage outlines the launch time and full mission timeline for the planned test.
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Revolv Space, an Italy- and Netherlands-based aerospace power systems developer, raised €5 million in a Series A led by Deep Ocean Capital to expand R&D and production. Separately, Avio reported nine-month revenue up 17%, with missile propulsion at 33% of backlog, and is advancing its U.S. expansion.
The FAA has authorized Dream Chaser to return from orbit to a runway at Vandenberg Space Force Base, alongside granting the spacecraft a reentry license. Sierra Space plans the vehicle’s first flight for spring 2027; one report says the spaceplane is designed to carry 12,000 pounds of cargo.
The FAA has licensed Sierra Space to return its Dream Chaser spaceplane from orbit and land on a runway at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The approval clears one of the last regulatory steps before the long-delayed vehicle’s first flight.
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South Korean launch startup INNOSPACE is preparing its SEBIT rocket for a second test flight in Brazil on Nov. 29, after its maiden mission ended early. The company has also shifted the planned launch of its HANBIT-Nano vehicle to 2027.
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