With the go-ahead from NASA for a first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft team is now reviewing flight performance data and refining the vehicle’s design adaptations to meet mission requirements and changing payloads, using Collier Research's HyperSizer software.

The HyperSizer tool provides insights into the strength, weight and manufacturability of designs for both composite and metal structures. Typically able to reduce the weight of existing designs by 20-40%, the software plays an important role in margin-of-safety certification for aerospace projects and is also valuable for wind, marine and other fields that demand performance with durability.