Executives with Lockheed Martin and Sierra Nevada Space Systems gave the media a look at the beginning stages of the Dream Chaser spacecraft being constructed at the site. It is one of three being built to shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS).

Advertisement Lockheed Martin aims to carry NASA astronauts in new mini-shuttle Project underway at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Work is underway on a spacecraft that will carry astronauts and cargo to the space station in the coming years. It's called the Dream Chaser and executives showed off work being done at the Michoud Assembly Facility on Tuesday.Watch reportExecutives with Lockheed Martin and Sierra Nevada Space Systems gave the media a look at the beginning stages of the Dream Chaser spacecraft being constructed at the site. It is one of three being built to shuttle astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS).Currently American astronauts have to tag along in Russian capsules to get to the ISS. The trip costs NASA $70.7 million per seat.Lockheed Martin has been contracted by Sierra Nevada to begin building the Dream Chaser mini-shuttle for space orbit. It is in early stages of development, but the Michoud facility is where things like the cabin and wings will be constructed for the space vehicle.Jim Crocker, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Space Systems Company, explained, "The first complex tools for the cabin fabrication will be completed next month. Additional tooling for the air shell, the control services, the air frame assemblies will be completed throughout the Spring and Summer of this year."The frame of the vehicle is essentially what's being fabricated at the MAF. The materials will them be transported to a different facility in Fort Worth, Texas, for additional work.Sierra Nevada is among three aerospace companies picked in 2012 to build small rocket ships to take astronauts to the space station as part of the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative.The Boeing Company, of Houston, Texas, and Space Exploration Technologies in Hawthorne, California, are both building capsules. Boeing's CST-100 and SpaceX's Dragon resemble capsules used in the Apollo era.Sierra Nevada's design is based on an old NASA test ship, which executives say will have more advantages and versatility.Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC's Space Systems, said, "For the job of going back and forth into low earth orbit, having a plane that can come back and is highly reusable and land on a runway, turn around quickly, come home fast from orbit is really a better tool for that purpose."The CCiCAP program is entering its final phase, which will lead to a contract that certifies the winning company's craft as safe to carry NASA astronauts to the ISS.The Dream Chaser looks much like the retired shuttles but it's a fraction of the size. All three of the spacecrafts being produced would carry seven people.Program executives announced in January that the first orbital launch date for the Dream Chaser spacecraft will be on Nov. 1, 2016.Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!