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Dream Chaser is scheduled to start flying cargo missions to the space station in 2022. And, Sierra Nevada Corporation claimed it has the capability to land anywhere in the world.I have found it has a landing speed of 200knots. So, it will probably fall in category E as an aircraft approach category.

But, Category E contains only certain Military Aircraft and is usually not included on commercial aeronautical charts.

So, during the landing procedure, What code does ATC assign to Dream Chaser? Is there any special squawk code for the spaceplane? Thank you.

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    $\begingroup$ Squawk code and approach category have nothing to do with each other. $\endgroup$
    – randomhead
    Jan 15, 2022 at 14:03
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    $\begingroup$ "Approach category E" and "Class E airspace" are not related, hence the tag deletion. $\endgroup$
    – quiet flyer
    Jan 15, 2022 at 17:19

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The approach category has absolutely nothing to do with the transponder code. If the DreamChaser does have an aircraft transponder, and if ATC assigns it a code, it will be just a regular transponder code that any other aircraft could get.

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    $\begingroup$ The space shuttle has a Mode C transponder. There is a high chance Dream Chaser will have but I am not 100% sure. $\endgroup$
    – Auberron
    Jan 16, 2022 at 11:00
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    $\begingroup$ @Auberron Well, if the space shuttle had one, it's likely DC will have one too. I've taken that part out. $\endgroup$
    – HiddenWindshield
    Jan 16, 2022 at 16:08

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