US Aviation Regulator Licenses Dream Chaser Spaceplane to Land at Vandenberg Space Force Base

The US Federal Aviation Administration granted Sierra Space a Part 450 vehicle-operator licence authorising its reusable Dream Chaser spaceplane to reenter and land at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Announced in November 2026, the five-year approval allows up to four reentries annually under specified vehicle and mission conditions, establishing a licensed military-controlled runway recovery site. Dream Chaser's first Tenacity airframe is being prepared for an orbital demonstration with a manifest that may include national-security and commercial payloads. The regulatory authorisation does not indicate that the spacecraft has completed its first orbital mission or entered routine service.