Sierra Space One Step Closer to Landing Spaceplane at Alabama Airport

The FAA held a public hearing this week on Sierra Space’s proposal to use Alabama’s Huntsville International Airport (KHSV) as a low-Earth orbit (LEO) re-entry site.

Jeremy Kariuki

Friday, December 10, 2021 at 01:42 PM ET

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Sierra Space is seeking approval to land its Dream Chaser spaceplane at a Huntsville, Alabama, airport. Credit: Sierra Space

Key Takeaways:

Sierra Space proposes utilizing Huntsville International Airport (KHSV) as a re-entry site for its Dream Chaser spaceplane, which will deliver supplies to the International Space Station.
The FAA conducted a public hearing to assess Sierra Space's Draft Environmental Assessment and its applications for re-entry site and vehicle operator licenses.
While most public comments expressed support, some Huntsville residents raised concerns, primarily about the expected sonic booms generated by Dream Chaser's re-entry.
The FAA has not yet made a final decision regarding Sierra Space's licensing requests for the proposed operations at KHSV.

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The FAA held a public hearing this week on Sierra Space’s proposal to use Alabama’s Huntsville International Airport (KHSV) as a low-Earth orbit (LEO) re-entry site for its spaceplane.

Sierra Space is currently developing a reusable re-entry vehicle, named Dream Chaser, that will deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) program by NASA. If approved, Dream Chaser could be landing at KHSV as soon as 2023.