Alabama’s reputation as one of the leaders in the space industry is continuing to grow. A private company building vehicles for space travel is expanding its work in Huntsville. Sierra Nevada Company announced it’s teaming up with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and an engineering company. Mark Sirangelo is Sierra Nevada’s corporate vice president. He says they’re expanding in Huntsville to tap into the wealth of knowledge there.
Mark Sirangelo: “On top of that we are going to orbit on top of an Atlas V rocket which is built in Decatur. So Alabama’s really become a major part of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Sierra Nevada is building a replacement for the space shuttle called the Dream Chaser. Its first mission is scheduled for 2016. The company hopes the Dream Chaser will be able to take astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
Sirangelo: “The science industry here really is excited about working with us and we’re similarly excited about stimulating what they can do. And I think that will become a major part of what we both will be doing here in Alabama in our future.”
