Sierra Space signs national-security customers for Dream Chaser's first flight

Sierra Space has signed contracts with undisclosed national-security and commercial customers to fly payloads aboard the inaugural mission of its Dream Chaser spaceplane, the company announced on 7 September 2026 — making the debut flight the first to combine national-security, commercial and civil payloads (including NASA cargo under the Commercial Resupply Services programme) on a single spacecraft.

Dream Chaser is a reusable, uncrewed spaceplane that folds its wings to fit inside a rocket fairing at launch, unfolds them in orbit, and lands on a runway rather than splashing down. The first vehicle, named Tenacity, will launch from Kennedy Space Center aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur and land at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Sierra Space says it has completed environmental testing, command-and-telemetry validation and post-landing recovery rehearsals; the mission will fly as an independent "free flyer" conducting multiday orbital operations before returning to Earth.

CEO Dan Jablonsky framed the spaceplane as "a strategic national capability built on commercial innovation", positioning a single platform to serve national-security, civil and commercial customers on one mission as the space domain becomes more contested. If successful, it would be the first orbital flight of a winged spacecraft since the Space Shuttle programme ended in 2011. Sierra Space said it is still finalising the full defence, civil and commercial manifest and has not disclosed the customers, cargo or a firm launch date.

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