NASA is adding four milestones for commercial crew integrated capability (CCiCap), worth a total of $55 million.
Sierra Nevada Corporation will get two additional milestones to work on its Dream Chaser lifting body: $5 million for an Incremental Critical Design Review due in October and $10 million for Incremental Reaction Control System Testing, due in July 2014.
The company has recently announced completing ground-based tow tests, the final steps before airborne captive-carry tests leading up to a glide flight. The company expects to complete the glide flight before the end of 2013.
SpaceX will receive $20 million for Dragon Parachute Testing, due in November. Parachutes are used to slow the Dragon capsule during descent once in the atmosphere.
Boeing will receive $20 million for a Spacecraft Safety Review due in July 2014.
CCiCap is due to wrap up in 2014, bringing all three participants up to Critical Design Review (CDR), the final design review before building the vehicle. The contest is meant to be followed shortly by the recently-announced commercial crew transportation capability (CCtCap), which will fund one or two of the participants through construction and several flights.
Source: Flight International
