Checking On Private Manned Spaceflight

All three American companies working on building private manned spacecraft are making progress, they report.

SpaceX is already flying its Dragon capsule as a cargo vehicle, and plans the first Dragon manned flight in 2015.

Boeing is working on its CST-100 capsule, and is aiming for its first crewed test flight in 2016.  Boeing, of course, has been involved in building manned spacecraft for decades.

Sierra Nevada sees its Dream Chaser flying in the 2016-17 period.  Dream Chaser will launch atop an Atlas 5, but it is winged, so it will land on a runway.