SpaceDev Suborbital Dream Chaser™

The Dream Chaser™ spaceship has a long and successful history. The vehicle is based on the NASA Langley Research Center's ten passenger orbital HL-20, also known as the Personnel Launch System and the Space Taxi. The HL-20, in turn, was based on the Soviet BOR-4, and thus has significant orbital heritage. The Dream Chaser launches vertically from a concrete pad, and with wings and its lifting body shape, has the ability to perform a graceful, careful re-entry into the atmosphere and glide significant distances to its standard, commercial runway. Credits: SpaceDev, Inc.