--- title: "NASA Will Test Beautiful Spaceship That Looks Like Space Shuttle" description: "A private orbital systems company is developing the \"Dream Chaser,\" a sleek reusable spacecraft, which NASA will test to shuttle cargo to the Space Station." date: "2019-11-20" modified: "2019-11-20" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-beautiful-spaceship-dream-chaser" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "iss" - "sierra nevada corporation" - "spaecraft" - "the digest" --- # NASA Will Test Beautiful Spaceship That Looks Like Space Shuttle ![A private orbital systems company is developing the "Dream Chaser," a sleek reusable spacecraft, which NASA will test to shuttle cargo to the Space Station.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Dream Chaser Space company Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is developing the "Dream Chaser," a sleek reusable spacecraft that's meant to shuttle cargo to and from the International Space Station and beyond — and it looks like a sleek version of the space agency's classic Space Shuttle. A test version of the spacecraft's 15-foot cargo module, called "Shooting Star," is already on its way to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for testing, according to a [press release](). The company's Dream Chaser is under contract with NASA to launch six times to the ISS in the fall of 2021, carrying a total of 10,000 pounds of pressurized and unpressurized payloads inside its cargo module. ## Cargo Carrier The contract follows Boeing and SpaceX's attempts to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS in the coming years. SNC's spacecraft is extremely versatile: it will have the ability to dispose of its cargo upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, offloading the space station's unwanted material. Thanks to a specialized self-inflating module attachment, Dream Chaser can even turn itself into an orbital satellite. Like the Space Shuttle, it'll land on a runway. SNC has big plans in store for Dream Chaser. It wants the spacecraft to support other missions in low-Earth orbit and even as far as NASA's planned [Lunar Gateway](), an outpost in the Moon's orbit. **READ MORE:** [SNC’s Dream Chaser spacecraft can supply NASA’s lunar space station – and become its own orbital platform]() \[*Tech Crunch*\] **More on the ISS:** *[Brands Keep Sending Their Pointless Swag to the Space Station]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()