A commercial space company is expanding its presence on the Space Coast.
Thursday morning, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will announce a new partnership with Craig Technologies, Cape Canaveral-based company.
SNC is relying on the company for design engineering and manufacturing of Dream Chaser, which is often referred to as the mini-shuttle.
The Dream Chaser is being outfitted to carry astronauts back into space from Florida. SNC will prepare the winged spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center.
They’re targeting to launch the Dream Chaser on top of an Atlas V rocket from the Cape in November 2016.
They plan to use the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC to land the mini-shuttle when it returns from space.
Craig Technologies said the work on the Dream Chaser will create a surge in new hires for them. However, they didn’t say how many jobs would be created.
SNC, Boeing and SpaceX are all competing for NASA contracts to send astronauts to the International Space Station.