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Dream Chaser

Dream Chaser is an American reusable lifting-body spaceplane developed by Sierra Space. Originally intended as a crewed vehicle, the Dream Chaser Space System is set to be produced after the Dream Chaser Cargo System cargo variant is operational. The crewed variant is planned to carry up to seven people and cargo to and from low Earth orbit.[1]

Dream Chaser
Dream Chaser flight test vehicle in 2013
ManufacturerSierra Space
Country of originUnited States
OperatorNASA
ApplicationsInternational Space Station (ISS) resupply
Specifications
Spacecraft typeRobotic cargo vehicle version, also
Crewed orbital spaceplane version
Payload capacity5,000 kg (5.0 t; 11,000 lb) pressurized, 500 kg (0.50 t; 1,100 lb) unpressurized
Crew capacity0 (cargo)
3-7 (crew)
RegimeLEO
Production
StatusActive
Built3
Launched0 (4 atmospheric tests)
Operational1
Related spacecraft
Derived fromHL-20 Personnel Launch System

The Dream Chaser was originally a project of the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), but in April of 2021 the project was taken over by the Sierra Space Corporation (SSC), which at that time was spun-off of the Sierra Nevada Corporation as its own fully independent company.

The cargo Dream Chaser is designed to resupply the International Space Station with both pressurized and unpressurized cargo. It is intended to launch vertically on the Vulcan Centaur rocket[2] and autonomously land horizontally on conventional runways.[3] A proposed version to be operated by European Space Agency (ESA) would launch on an Arianespace vehicle.

The Dream Chaser concept and design is a descendant of the original NASA Space Shuttle program.

Spacecraft edit

 
Dream Chaser engineering test article, being driven along the runway after an atmospheric test.

The Dream Chaser spaceplane is designed to be launched on the top of a typical rocket and land like an airplane on a runway. The design has heritage going back decades. Currently, the Dream Chaser will resupply the ISS with cargo. Per the company's website, a crew version is planned for a later date

Sierra Space is currently contracted under CRS-2 to perform resupply missions to the ISS over the next few years.[4]

Propulsion edit

On-orbit propulsion of the Dream Chaser was originally proposed to be provided by twin hybrid rocket engines capable of repeated starts and throttling. At the time, the SSC's predecessor, the SNC was also developing a similar hybrid rocket for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.[5] In May 2014, SNC involvement in the SpaceShipTwo program ended.[6]

After the acquisition of Orbitec LLC in July 2014, Sierra Nevada Corporation announced a major change to the propulsion system. The hybrid rocket engine design was dropped in favor of a cluster of Orbitec's Vortex engines. The new unit would be a pressure-fed three-mode engine. At low- and mid-power regimes it uses monopropellant fuel – hydrogen peroxide – and in high-power demand, the engine adds injection of RP-1 fuel. This increased thrust will be useful to shorten the de-orbit burn duration of the Dream Chaser.[7]

Thermal protection system edit

Its thermal protection system (TPS) is made up of silica-based tiles (for most of the belly and upper portion of the heat shield), and a new composite material called Toughened Unipiece Fibrous Reusable Oxidation Resistant Ceramic (TUFROC) to cover the nose and leading edges.[8][9]

Shooting Star module edit

In 2019, it was announced that an expendable Shooting Star cargo module would be part of the Dream Chaser cargo system for CRS-2 flights.[10][11][12] The module is a 15-foot-long (4.6 m) attachment to Dream Chaser that will allow the spacecraft to carry an additional 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to ISS. The module supports disposal of unwanted cargo by burning up upon re-entry.

In addition to carrying cargo, the Shooting Star module includes solar panels that supply up to 6 kW of electrical power. It also supplies active and passive thermal management; provides Dream Chaser translation and rotation capability via six mounted thrusters; and supports berthing or docking (in different configurations) to the ISS. Access from ISS to Dream Chaser will involve crew passing through Shooting Star (which supports a shirt-sleeve environment) and through a hatch that separates Shooting Star from Dream Chaser. Sierra Nevada says the module is capable of additional types of missions in LEO or to cis-lunar destinations; they have developed a free-flying variant with additional capabilities.[13]

In July 2020, Sierra Nevada announced a contract with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to use its Shooting Star expendable cargo vehicle as a possible commercial solution for a high-powered uncrewed orbital outpost.[14]

Technology partners edit

In 2010, the following organizations were named as technology partners for the original passenger Dream Chaser:[15]

History edit

 
Prototype of the X-20 Dyna Soar - a spacecraft the Dream Chaser spaceplane is based on

The Dream Chaser design is derived from NASA's HL-20 Personnel Launch System spaceplane concept,[18][19] which in turn is descended from a series of test vehicles, including the X-20 Dyna-Soar, Northrop M2-F2, Northrop M2-F3, Northrop HL-10, Martin X-24A and X-24B,[20][21][22] and Martin X-23 PRIME.[23]

The name "Dream Chaser" had been previously used for two separate space vehicle concepts. The first was planned to be an orbital vehicle based on the HL-20, with the second suborbital vehicle proposed by the Benson Space Company for the purposes of space tourism.[24]

The Dream Chaser was publicly announced on September 20, 2004.[25] In April 2007, SpaceDev announced that it had partnered with the United Launch Alliance to pursue the possibility of using the Atlas V booster rocket as the Dream Chaser's launch vehicle.[26] In June 2007, SpaceDev signed a Space Act agreement with NASA.[27]

On 21 October 2008, SpaceDev with Dream Chaser was acquired by the Sierra Nevada Corporation for US$38 million.[28]

CCDev phase 1 edit

On 1 February 2010, Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded $20 million in seed money under NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) phase 1 program for the development of the Dream Chaser.[29][30] SNC completed the four planned milestones on time, including hybrid rocket test fires and the preliminary structure design.[31] Further initial Dream Chaser tests included the drop test of a 15% scaled version at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.[32]

CCDev phase 2 edit

Sierra Nevada proposed Dream Chaser for the CCDev phase 2 solicitation by NASA in October 2010, with an estimated project cost of less than $1 billion.[33][34] On 18 April 2011, NASA awarded $80 million to Sierra Nevada Corporation for Dream Chaser.[35] Since then, nearly a dozen further milestones have been completed under that Space Act Agreement. Some of these milestones included testing of an improved airfoil fin shape, integrated flight software and hardware, landing gear, a full-scale captive carry flight test, and a Systems Requirement Review (SRR).[36][37]

By February 2012, Sierra Nevada Corporation stated that it had completed the assembly and delivery of the primary structure of the first Dream Chaser flight test vehicle. With this, SNC completed all 11 of its CCDev milestones that were scheduled up to that point. SNC stated in a press release that it was "on time and on budget."[38]

On 29 May 2012, the Dream Chaser Engineering Test Article (ETA) was lifted by an Erickson Skycrane helicopter in a captive carry test to better determine its aerodynamic properties.[39][40] In May 2013, the ETA was shipped to the Dryden Flight Research Center in California for a series of ground tests and aerodynamic flight tests.[41] A second captive carry flight test was completed on 22 August 2013.[42]

On 12 June 2012, SNC announced the commemoration of its fifth year as a NASA Langley partner in the design and development of Dream Chaser.[43] The NASA/SNC team had worked on aerodynamic and aerothermal analysis of Dream Chaser, as well as guidance, navigation, and control systems. Together with ULA, the NASA/SNC team performed buffet tests on the Dream Chaser and Atlas V stack.[43]

On 11 July 2012, SNC announced that it successfully completed testing of the nose landing gear for Dream Chaser.[44] This milestone evaluated the impact to the landing gear during simulated approach and landing tests as well as the impact of future orbital flights. The main landing gear was tested in a similar way in February 2012. The nose gear landing test was the last milestone to be completed before the free flight approach and landing tests scheduled for later in 2012.[44] In August 2012, SNC completed CCiCap Milestone 1, or the 'Program Implementation Plan Review'. This included creating a plan for implementing design, development, testing, and evaluation activities through the duration of CCiCap funding.[45] By October 2012 the "Integrated System Baseline Review", or CCiCap Milestone 2, had been completed. This review demonstrated the maturity of the Dream Chaser Space System as well as the integration and support of the Atlas V launch vehicle, mission systems, and ground systems.[45]

CCiCap edit

On 3 August 2012, NASA announced the award of $212.5 million to Sierra Nevada Corporation to continue work on the Dream Chaser under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) Program.[46] On 30 January 2013, SNC announced a new partnership with Lockheed Martin. Under the agreement, SNC will pay Lockheed Martin $10 million to build the second airframe at its Michoud facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This second airframe is slated to be the first orbital test vehicle, with orbital flight testing planned to begin within the next two years.[16]

In January 2013, Sierra Nevada announced that the second captive carry and first unpowered drop test of Dream Chaser would take place at Edwards Air Force Base, California in March 2013. The spaceplane release would occur at 12,000 feet (3,700 m) altitude and would be followed by an autonomous robotic landing.[16][17]

On 13 March 2013, NASA announced that former Space Shuttle commander Lee Archambault was leaving the agency in order to join SNC. Archambault, a former combat pilot and 15-year NASA veteran who flew on Atlantis and Discovery, will work on the Dream Chaser program as a systems engineer and test pilot.[47][48]

On October 26, 2013, the first free-flight occurred. The test vehicle was released from the helicopter and flew the correct flightpath to touchdown less than a minute later. Just prior to landing, the left main landing gear failed to deploy resulting in a crash landing.[49] The vehicle skidded off the runway in a cloud of dust, but was found upright with the crew compartment intact and all systems inside still in working order.[50][51]

In January 2014, SNC announced it had signed a launch contract to fly the first orbital test vehicle on a robotically controlled orbital test flight in November 2016.[52]

 
Dream Chaser model being tested at NASA Langley, aboard an Atlas V mock-up.

In early 2014, Sierra Nevada completed its wind tunnel testing as part of its CCiCAP Milestone 8. The wind tunnel testing involved analyzing the flight dynamics characteristics that the vehicle will experience during orbital ascent and re-entry. Wind tunnel testing was also completed for the Dream Chaser Atlas V integrated launch system. These tests were completed at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, CALSPAN Transonic Wind Tunnel in New York, and at NASA Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel in Hampton, Virginia.[53]

On 1 August 2014, the first completed piece of the orbital Flight Test Article (FTA) composite airframe was unveiled at a Lockheed Martin facility.[54]

CCtCap edit

On 16 September 2014, NASA did not select the Dream Chaser for CCtCap, the next phase of the Commercial Crew Program. This occurred despite previous Commercial Crew Development awards in every phase since 2009,[55] due to lack of maturity.[56]

On 26 September, Sierra Nevada filed a protest to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).[57] On 22 October 2014, a Federal Judge ruled the contract awards to Boeing and SpaceX valid, allowing NASA to proceed.[58]

On 29 September 2014, Sierra Nevada introduced the "Dream Chaser Global Project" which would provide customized access to low Earth orbit to global customers.[59]

Despite not being selected to continue forward under NASA's Commercial Crew transportation Capability (CCtCap) phase of the effort to send crews to orbit via private companies, SNC completed the milestones assigned under earlier phases of the CCP.[60] On December 2, 2014, SNC announced that it completed NASA's CCiCap Milestone 5a related to propulsion risk reduction for the Dream Chaser space system.[61]

By late December, details had emerged that "a high-ranking agency official"—"William Gerstenmaier, the agency's top human exploration official and the one who made the final decision"—"opted to rank Boeing's proposal higher than a previous panel of agency procurement experts." More specifically, Sierra Nevada asserted in their filings with the GAO that Gerstenmaier may have "overstepped his authority by unilaterally changing the scoring criteria."[62]

On January 5, 2015, the GAO denied Sierra Nevada's CCtCap challenge, stating that NASA made the proper decision when it decided to award Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to develop their vehicles. Ralph White, the GAO's managing associate counsel, announced that NASA "recognized Boeing's higher price but also considered Boeing's proposal to be the strongest of all three proposals in terms of technical approach, management approach and past performance, and to offer the crew transportation system with most utility and highest value to the government." Furthermore, the agency found "several favorable features" in SNC's proposal "but ultimately concluded that SpaceX's lower price made it a better value."[63]

CRS-2 selection edit

In December 2014, Sierra Nevada proposed Dream Chaser for CRS-2 consideration.[64] In January 2016, NASA announced that Dream Chaser had been awarded one of the CRS-2 contracts and committed to purchasing a minimum of six resupply missions to the ISS.[65] The cargo spacecraft will fly alongside spacecraft from the existing CRS-1 contract holders SpaceX and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.[66]

In October 2015, the thermal protection system was installed on the Engineering Test Article (ETA) for the next phase of atmospheric flight testing. The orbital cabin assembly of the Flight Test Article (FTA) was also completed by contractor Lockheed Martin.[67]

In 2015, the ETA had reportedly been given the name Eagle,[41] while the FTA was originally named Ascalon before being changed to Ascension.[68]

On 11 November 2017, the Dream Chaser ETA was released from an altitude of 3,700 m and successfully landed at Edwards AFB.[69][70]

In March 2019, completion of NASA's Integrated Review Milestone 5 (IR5) confirmed that development was still on schedule.[71][72] In August 2019, SNC announced the first ISS flight of the Dream Chaser, known as SNC Demo-1, was planned for 2021.[2] However, on November 17, 2020, SNC announced it would be delayed until early 2022.[73]

In April 2021 SNC spun off its Dream Chaser division, creating the fully independent company, the "Sierra Space Corporation," which assumed responsibility for the further development of the Dream Chaser space vehicle system. In May 2022, it was announced by the deputy manager of ISS, Dana Weigel, that the mission was scheduled for February 2023.[74] The mission has since then been delayed further, to June 2024.[75] In May 2024, it was announced that Dream Chaser Tenacity completed initial flight testing and was headed next to Kennedy Space Center to prepare for launch. [76]

Variants edit

Crewed version edit

 
Artist's conception of the Dream Chaser Space System in the launch configuration of the Atlas V

The originally planned Dream Chaser Space System is a human-rated version designed to carry from three to seven people and cargo to orbital destinations such as the International Space Station.[77] It was to have a built-in launch escape system[5] and could fly autonomously if needed.[78] Although it could use any suitable launch vehicle, it was planned to be launched on a human-rated Atlas V N12 rocket.[78][79] The vehicle will be able to return from space by gliding (typically experiencing less than 1.5 g on re-entry) and landing on any airport runway that handles commercial air traffic.[80][15] Its reaction control system thrusters burned ethanol-based fuel,[78][80] which is not an explosively volatile material, nor toxic like hydrazine, allowing the Dream Chaser to be handled immediately after landing, unlike the Space Shuttle.[78]

As of 2020, the Sierra Nevada Corporation said it still planned to produce a crewed version of the spacecraft within the next 5 years. The company said it "never stopped working" on the crewed version and fully intended to launch it after the cargo version,[81] and is still committed to the crewed version as of 2021.[82]

In November 2021, Sierra Space Corporation reported that it received a $1.4 billion investment in Series A funding, which it would use to develop a crewed version of Dream Chaser and fly astronauts by 2025.[83] On 25 October 2021, Blue Origin and Sierra Space, released their plan for a commercial space station.[84] The station, called Orbital Reef, is intended as a "mixed-use business park".[85] Sierra Space Corporation's Dream Chaser was chosen as one of the commercial spacecraft to transport commercial crew to and from the space station, along with Boeing's Starliner.[86]

CRS-2 cargo version edit

 
Artist's conception of the crewed Dream Chaser docked to International Space Station.

The cargo version of the SSC Dream Chaser is called the Dream Chaser Cargo System (DCCS) and after development is completed, will fly resupply flights to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services-2 program. Featuring an expendable cargo module mounting solar panels, the spacecraft will be capable of returning 1,750 kg (3,860 lb) to Earth while undergoing maximum re-entry forces of 1.5G.[87][88]

To meet CRS-2 guidelines, the cargo Dream Chaser will have folding wings and fit within a 5 m diameter payload fairing, in contrast to the Crewed Dream Chaser, which is intended to launch without a fairing. The ability to fit into a payload fairing allows the cargo version to launch on any sufficiently capable vehicle, such as the (retired) Ariane 5 as well as the (soon to be retired) Atlas V. An expendable cargo module will launch attached to the back of the spacecraft, expanding the cargo uplift capacity and supporting the disposal of up to 3,250 kg (7,170 lb) of trash. Total uplift is planned for 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) pressurized and 500 kg (1,100 lb) unpressurized, with a downlift of 1,750 kg (3,860 lb) contained within the spaceplane.[89] The expendable cargo module is called "Shooting Star".[1]

On August 14, 2019, it was announced that all six Dream Chaser CRS-2 flights would be carried into orbit by ULA's Vulcan launch vehicle, with the first Dream Chaser flight being the second Vulcan flight in late 2021.[2][90] However, on February 9, 2022, Ken Shields, Sierra Space's Director of Commercial Market Development, announced that the first flight would be pushed to January 2023.[91] The launch has been further delayed, and as of February 2024 is scheduled for June 2024.[75]

National Security version edit

On November 19, 2021, Sierra Space announced that it is considering a third Dream Chaser version specialized for National Security missions, though it declined to comment on what the differences compared with other versions would be.[92]

Dream Chaser Global Project edit

In December 2013, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) announced a funded study to investigate ways in which Europe might take advantage of the Dream Chaser crewed spaceplane technology. Named the DC4EU (Dream Chaser for European Utilization), the project will study using it for sending crews and cargo to the ISS and on missions not involving the ISS, particularly in orbits of substantially greater altitude than the ISS can reach.[93]

In January 2014, the European Space Agency (ESA) agreed to be a partner on the DC4EU project, and will also investigate whether the Dream Chaser can use ESA avionics and docking mechanisms. ESA will also study launching options for the "Europeanized" Dream Chaser, particularly whether it can be launched from the Guiana Space Centre, within the Ariane 5's large aerodynamic cargo fairing – or, like the Atlas V, without it. In order to fit within the fairing, the Dream Chaser's wing length will have to be reduced slightly, which is thought to be easier than going through a full aerodynamic test program to evaluate and prove it along with the Ariane for flight without the fairing.[94] The Ariane 5 launch vehicle was designed from its inception to be crew rated, in order to launch the Hermes Spaceplane, an ESA crewed vehicle which was proposed in the 1980s and 1990s, but was cancelled.

In late January 2014, it was announced that the Dream Chaser orbital test vehicle was under contract to be launched on an initial orbital test flight, using an Atlas V rocket, from Kennedy Space Center in November 2016. This was a privately arranged commercial agreement, and was funded directly by Sierra Nevada and was not a part of any existing NASA contract.[52]

In September 2014, SNC announced that it would, with global partners, use the Dream Chaser as the baseline spacecraft for orbital access for a variety of programs, specializing the craft as needed.[95]

On 5 November 2014, SNC's Space Systems team publicly presented the challenges and opportunities related to landing the Dream Chaser spacecraft at public-use airports.[96] Dream Chaser uses standard landing aids and non-toxic propellants that require no special handling.[97]

Dream Chaser for European Utilization edit

On February 3, 2015, the Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Space Systems and OHB System AG (OHB) in Germany announced the completion of the initial Dream Chaser for European Utilization (DC4EU) study.[98] The study found that Dream Chaser is suitable for a broad range of space applications and could be used to advance European interests in space.[99] The cooperation was renewed in April 2015 for an additional two years.[99] [needs update]

United Nations edit

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) selected the cargo Dream Chaser for its first space launch. This launch is intended to last for at least two weeks in freeflight to provide space access to United Nations member states that have no space programs of their own.[100]

In 2019, the launch date for the proposed mission, expected to carry up to 35 payloads, was set for 2024.[101]

List of vehicles edit

Dream Chaser vehicles[102]
Type Serial Name Status Flights Time in flight Notes Cat.
Prototype ETA Eagle Retired 4 ~5 minutes Engineering Test Article (ETA) used for captive carry and atmospheric drop tests
Prototype FTA Ascension Active 0 None Flight Test Article (FTA) to be used for atmospheric tests
Cargo DC101[103] Tenacity Completed[104] 0 None Spacecraft to be flown on SSC Demo-1 mission.
Cargo DC102 Reverence Under construction 0 None Sierra Space vague in response to NASA OIG report.[105][106]
Crewed DC201 TBA Unknown 0 None Appeared in a Sierra Space social media post along with Tenacity. The Aviation Week article that was linked indicated that "For the next-generation crewed DC-200 series, Sierra Space is studying a twin-tail, fixed-wing design". No other details were provided.[107]
  Test vehicle   Spaceflight vehicle

Missions edit

List only includes manifested missions. A demonstration and six missions are currently planned to be launched from Cape Canaveral SLC-41 on Vulcan Centaur, and one more flight has been ordered to fly from Guiana Space Center[citation needed] for the United Nations on board an Arianespace vehicle.

Dream Chaser flights
Mission Spacecraft Launch date Landing date Launch vehicle Description Outcome
Captive Test 1 ETA Eagle 29 May 2012 29 May 2012 Erickson Skycrane[a] 1st atmospheric test Success
Captive Test 2 ETA Eagle 22 August 2013 22 August 2013 Erickson Skycrane 2nd atmospheric test Success
Drop Test 1 ETA Eagle 26 October 2013 26 October 2013 Erickson Skycrane 1st free flight test Partial success
Drop Test 2 ETA Eagle 11 November 2017 11 November 2017 Boeing-Vertol Model 234 (Commercial Chinook variant) 2nd free flight test Success
SSC Demo-1 DC101 Tenacity June 2024[75] 2024 Vulcan Centaur[b] First orbital flight, second Vulcan launch, demonstration flight of Dream Chaser to ISS for NASA. Duration of ~82 days. Planned
SSC CRS-1 TBA NET 2024 NET 2024 Vulcan Centaur 1st contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned
SSC CRS-2 TBA NET 2024 NET 2024 Vulcan Centaur 2nd contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned
SSC CRS-3 TBA NET 2025 NET 2025 Vulcan Centaur 3rd contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned
SSC CRS-4 TBA NET 2025 NET 2025 Vulcan Centaur 4th contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned
DC UNOOSA-1 TBA NET 2025 NET 2025 Arianespace vehicle To carry 35 payloads for the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.[101] Planned
SSC CRS-5 TBA NET 2026 NET 2026 Vulcan Centaur 5th contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned
SSC CRS-6 TBA NET 2026 NET 2026 Vulcan Centaur 6th contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned
  1. ^ A helicopter used for lifting the vehicle
  2. ^ Orbital flights of Dream Chaser were first planned to use Atlas V, but switched to Vulcan. Future flights on Ariane 6 are also proposed.

See also edit

Spaceplanes

Other ISS cargo vehicles:

Other ISS crew vehicles:

References edit

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  106. ^ @SierraSpaceCo (August 30, 2022). "And then there were two...#DreamsWorthChasing" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  107. ^ @SierraSpaceCo (January 6, 2023). "Sierra Space's Dream Chaser, Tenacity, is on track to become the first operational commercial spaceplane with a lifting body" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links edit

  • Sierra Space web site
  • Sierra Space Dream Chaser page
  • United Launch Alliance web site
  • CG rendering of Dream Chaser servicing ISS
  • Video animation – SpaceDev International Lunar Observatory Human Servicing Mission concept

dream, chaser, this, article, about, sierra, space, corporation, spaceplane, other, uses, american, reusable, lifting, body, spaceplane, developed, sierra, space, originally, intended, crewed, vehicle, space, system, produced, after, cargo, system, cargo, vari. This article is about the Sierra Space Corporation SSC spaceplane For other uses see Dream Chasers Dream Chaser is an American reusable lifting body spaceplane developed by Sierra Space Originally intended as a crewed vehicle the Dream Chaser Space System is set to be produced after the Dream Chaser Cargo System cargo variant is operational The crewed variant is planned to carry up to seven people and cargo to and from low Earth orbit 1 Dream ChaserDream Chaser flight test vehicle in 2013ManufacturerSierra SpaceCountry of originUnited StatesOperatorNASAApplicationsInternational Space Station ISS resupplySpecificationsSpacecraft typeRobotic cargo vehicle version also Crewed orbital spaceplane versionPayload capacity5 000 kg 5 0 t 11 000 lb pressurized 500 kg 0 50 t 1 100 lb unpressurizedCrew capacity0 cargo 3 7 crew RegimeLEOProductionStatusActiveBuilt3Launched0 4 atmospheric tests Operational1Related spacecraftDerived fromHL 20 Personnel Launch System The Dream Chaser was originally a project of the Sierra Nevada Corporation SNC but in April of 2021 the project was taken over by the Sierra Space Corporation SSC which at that time was spun off of the Sierra Nevada Corporation as its own fully independent company The cargo Dream Chaser is designed to resupply the International Space Station with both pressurized and unpressurized cargo It is intended to launch vertically on the Vulcan Centaur rocket 2 and autonomously land horizontally on conventional runways 3 A proposed version to be operated by European Space Agency ESA would launch on an Arianespace vehicle The Dream Chaser concept and design is a descendant of the original NASA Space Shuttle program Contents 1 Spacecraft 1 1 Propulsion 1 2 Thermal protection system 1 3 Shooting Star module 1 4 Technology partners 2 History 2 1 CCDev phase 1 2 2 CCDev phase 2 2 3 CCiCap 2 4 CCtCap 2 5 CRS 2 selection 3 Variants 3 1 Crewed version 3 2 CRS 2 cargo version 3 3 National Security version 4 Dream Chaser Global Project 4 1 Dream Chaser for European Utilization 4 2 United Nations 5 List of vehicles 6 Missions 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksSpacecraft edit nbsp Dream Chaser engineering test article being driven along the runway after an atmospheric test The Dream Chaser spaceplane is designed to be launched on the top of a typical rocket and land like an airplane on a runway The design has heritage going back decades Currently the Dream Chaser will resupply the ISS with cargo Per the company s website a crew version is planned for a later dateSierra Space is currently contracted under CRS 2 to perform resupply missions to the ISS over the next few years 4 Propulsion edit On orbit propulsion of the Dream Chaser was originally proposed to be provided by twin hybrid rocket engines capable of repeated starts and throttling At the time the SSC s predecessor the SNC was also developing a similar hybrid rocket for Virgin Galactic s SpaceShipTwo 5 In May 2014 SNC involvement in the SpaceShipTwo program ended 6 After the acquisition of Orbitec LLC in July 2014 Sierra Nevada Corporation announced a major change to the propulsion system The hybrid rocket engine design was dropped in favor of a cluster of Orbitec s Vortex engines The new unit would be a pressure fed three mode engine At low and mid power regimes it uses monopropellant fuel hydrogen peroxide and in high power demand the engine adds injection of RP 1 fuel This increased thrust will be useful to shorten the de orbit burn duration of the Dream Chaser 7 Thermal protection system edit Its thermal protection system TPS is made up of silica based tiles for most of the belly and upper portion of the heat shield and a new composite material called Toughened Unipiece Fibrous Reusable Oxidation Resistant Ceramic TUFROC to cover the nose and leading edges 8 9 Shooting Star module edit In 2019 it was announced that an expendable Shooting Star cargo module would be part of the Dream Chaser cargo system for CRS 2 flights 10 11 12 The module is a 15 foot long 4 6 m attachment to Dream Chaser that will allow the spacecraft to carry an additional 10 000 pounds 4 500 kg of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to ISS The module supports disposal of unwanted cargo by burning up upon re entry In addition to carrying cargo the Shooting Star module includes solar panels that supply up to 6 kW of electrical power It also supplies active and passive thermal management provides Dream Chaser translation and rotation capability via six mounted thrusters and supports berthing or docking in different configurations to the ISS Access from ISS to Dream Chaser will involve crew passing through Shooting Star which supports a shirt sleeve environment and through a hatch that separates Shooting Star from Dream Chaser Sierra Nevada says the module is capable of additional types of missions in LEO or to cis lunar destinations they have developed a free flying variant with additional capabilities 13 In July 2020 Sierra Nevada announced a contract with the Defense Innovation Unit DIU to use its Shooting Star expendable cargo vehicle as a possible commercial solution for a high powered uncrewed orbital outpost 14 Technology partners edit In 2010 the following organizations were named as technology partners for the original passenger Dream Chaser 15 Aerojet reaction control system technology AdamWorks composites Charles Stark Draper Laboratory guidance navigation and control Lockheed Martin airframe construction and human rating of the spaceplane 16 17 MDA systems engineering University of Colorado human ratingHistory edit nbsp Prototype of the X 20 Dyna Soar a spacecraft the Dream Chaser spaceplane is based on The Dream Chaser design is derived from NASA s HL 20 Personnel Launch System spaceplane concept 18 19 which in turn is descended from a series of test vehicles including the X 20 Dyna Soar Northrop M2 F2 Northrop M2 F3 Northrop HL 10 Martin X 24A and X 24B 20 21 22 and Martin X 23 PRIME 23 The name Dream Chaser had been previously used for two separate space vehicle concepts The first was planned to be an orbital vehicle based on the HL 20 with the second suborbital vehicle proposed by the Benson Space Company for the purposes of space tourism 24 The Dream Chaser was publicly announced on September 20 2004 25 In April 2007 SpaceDev announced that it had partnered with the United Launch Alliance to pursue the possibility of using the Atlas V booster rocket as the Dream Chaser s launch vehicle 26 In June 2007 SpaceDev signed a Space Act agreement with NASA 27 On 21 October 2008 SpaceDev with Dream Chaser was acquired by the Sierra Nevada Corporation for US 38 million 28 CCDev phase 1 edit On 1 February 2010 Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded 20 million in seed money under NASA s Commercial Crew Development CCDev phase 1 program for the development of the Dream Chaser 29 30 SNC completed the four planned milestones on time including hybrid rocket test fires and the preliminary structure design 31 Further initial Dream Chaser tests included the drop test of a 15 scaled version at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center 32 CCDev phase 2 edit Sierra Nevada proposed Dream Chaser for the CCDev phase 2 solicitation by NASA in October 2010 with an estimated project cost of less than 1 billion 33 34 On 18 April 2011 NASA awarded 80 million to Sierra Nevada Corporation for Dream Chaser 35 Since then nearly a dozen further milestones have been completed under that Space Act Agreement Some of these milestones included testing of an improved airfoil fin shape integrated flight software and hardware landing gear a full scale captive carry flight test and a Systems Requirement Review SRR 36 37 By February 2012 Sierra Nevada Corporation stated that it had completed the assembly and delivery of the primary structure of the first Dream Chaser flight test vehicle With this SNC completed all 11 of its CCDev milestones that were scheduled up to that point SNC stated in a press release that it was on time and on budget 38 On 29 May 2012 the Dream Chaser Engineering Test Article ETA was lifted by an Erickson Skycrane helicopter in a captive carry test to better determine its aerodynamic properties 39 40 In May 2013 the ETA was shipped to the Dryden Flight Research Center in California for a series of ground tests and aerodynamic flight tests 41 A second captive carry flight test was completed on 22 August 2013 42 On 12 June 2012 SNC announced the commemoration of its fifth year as a NASA Langley partner in the design and development of Dream Chaser 43 The NASA SNC team had worked on aerodynamic and aerothermal analysis of Dream Chaser as well as guidance navigation and control systems Together with ULA the NASA SNC team performed buffet tests on the Dream Chaser and Atlas V stack 43 On 11 July 2012 SNC announced that it successfully completed testing of the nose landing gear for Dream Chaser 44 This milestone evaluated the impact to the landing gear during simulated approach and landing tests as well as the impact of future orbital flights The main landing gear was tested in a similar way in February 2012 The nose gear landing test was the last milestone to be completed before the free flight approach and landing tests scheduled for later in 2012 44 In August 2012 SNC completed CCiCap Milestone 1 or the Program Implementation Plan Review This included creating a plan for implementing design development testing and evaluation activities through the duration of CCiCap funding 45 By October 2012 the Integrated System Baseline Review or CCiCap Milestone 2 had been completed This review demonstrated the maturity of the Dream Chaser Space System as well as the integration and support of the Atlas V launch vehicle mission systems and ground systems 45 CCiCap edit On 3 August 2012 NASA announced the award of 212 5 million to Sierra Nevada Corporation to continue work on the Dream Chaser under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability CCiCap Program 46 On 30 January 2013 SNC announced a new partnership with Lockheed Martin Under the agreement SNC will pay Lockheed Martin 10 million to build the second airframe at its Michoud facility in New Orleans Louisiana This second airframe is slated to be the first orbital test vehicle with orbital flight testing planned to begin within the next two years 16 In January 2013 Sierra Nevada announced that the second captive carry and first unpowered drop test of Dream Chaser would take place at Edwards Air Force Base California in March 2013 The spaceplane release would occur at 12 000 feet 3 700 m altitude and would be followed by an autonomous robotic landing 16 17 On 13 March 2013 NASA announced that former Space Shuttle commander Lee Archambault was leaving the agency in order to join SNC Archambault a former combat pilot and 15 year NASA veteran who flew on Atlantis and Discovery will work on the Dream Chaser program as a systems engineer and test pilot 47 48 On October 26 2013 the first free flight occurred The test vehicle was released from the helicopter and flew the correct flightpath to touchdown less than a minute later Just prior to landing the left main landing gear failed to deploy resulting in a crash landing 49 The vehicle skidded off the runway in a cloud of dust but was found upright with the crew compartment intact and all systems inside still in working order 50 51 In January 2014 SNC announced it had signed a launch contract to fly the first orbital test vehicle on a robotically controlled orbital test flight in November 2016 52 nbsp Dream Chaser model being tested at NASA Langley aboard an Atlas V mock up In early 2014 Sierra Nevada completed its wind tunnel testing as part of its CCiCAP Milestone 8 The wind tunnel testing involved analyzing the flight dynamics characteristics that the vehicle will experience during orbital ascent and re entry Wind tunnel testing was also completed for the Dream Chaser Atlas V integrated launch system These tests were completed at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field California CALSPAN Transonic Wind Tunnel in New York and at NASA Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel in Hampton Virginia 53 On 1 August 2014 the first completed piece of the orbital Flight Test Article FTA composite airframe was unveiled at a Lockheed Martin facility 54 CCtCap edit On 16 September 2014 NASA did not select the Dream Chaser for CCtCap the next phase of the Commercial Crew Program This occurred despite previous Commercial Crew Development awards in every phase since 2009 55 due to lack of maturity 56 On 26 September Sierra Nevada filed a protest to the US Government Accountability Office GAO 57 On 22 October 2014 a Federal Judge ruled the contract awards to Boeing and SpaceX valid allowing NASA to proceed 58 On 29 September 2014 Sierra Nevada introduced the Dream Chaser Global Project which would provide customized access to low Earth orbit to global customers 59 Despite not being selected to continue forward under NASA s Commercial Crew transportation Capability CCtCap phase of the effort to send crews to orbit via private companies SNC completed the milestones assigned under earlier phases of the CCP 60 On December 2 2014 SNC announced that it completed NASA s CCiCap Milestone 5a related to propulsion risk reduction for the Dream Chaser space system 61 By late December details had emerged that a high ranking agency official William Gerstenmaier the agency s top human exploration official and the one who made the final decision opted to rank Boeing s proposal higher than a previous panel of agency procurement experts More specifically Sierra Nevada asserted in their filings with the GAO that Gerstenmaier may have overstepped his authority by unilaterally changing the scoring criteria 62 On January 5 2015 the GAO denied Sierra Nevada s CCtCap challenge stating that NASA made the proper decision when it decided to award Boeing 4 2 billion and SpaceX 2 6 billion to develop their vehicles Ralph White the GAO s managing associate counsel announced that NASA recognized Boeing s higher price but also considered Boeing s proposal to be the strongest of all three proposals in terms of technical approach management approach and past performance and to offer the crew transportation system with most utility and highest value to the government Furthermore the agency found several favorable features in SNC s proposal but ultimately concluded that SpaceX s lower price made it a better value 63 CRS 2 selection edit Further information Commercial Resupply Services In December 2014 Sierra Nevada proposed Dream Chaser for CRS 2 consideration 64 In January 2016 NASA announced that Dream Chaser had been awarded one of the CRS 2 contracts and committed to purchasing a minimum of six resupply missions to the ISS 65 The cargo spacecraft will fly alongside spacecraft from the existing CRS 1 contract holders SpaceX and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems 66 In October 2015 the thermal protection system was installed on the Engineering Test Article ETA for the next phase of atmospheric flight testing The orbital cabin assembly of the Flight Test Article FTA was also completed by contractor Lockheed Martin 67 In 2015 the ETA had reportedly been given the name Eagle 41 while the FTA was originally named Ascalon before being changed to Ascension 68 On 11 November 2017 the Dream Chaser ETA was released from an altitude of 3 700 m and successfully landed at Edwards AFB 69 70 In March 2019 completion of NASA s Integrated Review Milestone 5 IR5 confirmed that development was still on schedule 71 72 In August 2019 SNC announced the first ISS flight of the Dream Chaser known as SNC Demo 1 was planned for 2021 2 However on November 17 2020 SNC announced it would be delayed until early 2022 73 In April 2021 SNC spun off its Dream Chaser division creating the fully independent company the Sierra Space Corporation which assumed responsibility for the further development of the Dream Chaser space vehicle system In May 2022 it was announced by the deputy manager of ISS Dana Weigel that the mission was scheduled for February 2023 74 The mission has since then been delayed further to June 2024 75 In May 2024 it was announced that Dream Chaser Tenacity completed initial flight testing and was headed next to Kennedy Space Center to prepare for launch 76 Variants editCrewed version edit nbsp Artist s conception of the Dream Chaser Space System in the launch configuration of the Atlas V The originally planned Dream Chaser Space System is a human rated version designed to carry from three to seven people and cargo to orbital destinations such as the International Space Station 77 It was to have a built in launch escape system 5 and could fly autonomously if needed 78 Although it could use any suitable launch vehicle it was planned to be launched on a human rated Atlas V N12 rocket 78 79 The vehicle will be able to return from space by gliding typically experiencing less than 1 5 g on re entry and landing on any airport runway that handles commercial air traffic 80 15 Its reaction control system thrusters burned ethanol based fuel 78 80 which is not an explosively volatile material nor toxic like hydrazine allowing the Dream Chaser to be handled immediately after landing unlike the Space Shuttle 78 As of 2020 the Sierra Nevada Corporation said it still planned to produce a crewed version of the spacecraft within the next 5 years The company said it never stopped working on the crewed version and fully intended to launch it after the cargo version 81 and is still committed to the crewed version as of 2021 82 In November 2021 Sierra Space Corporation reported that it received a 1 4 billion investment in Series A funding which it would use to develop a crewed version of Dream Chaser and fly astronauts by 2025 83 On 25 October 2021 Blue Origin and Sierra Space released their plan for a commercial space station 84 The station called Orbital Reef is intended as a mixed use business park 85 Sierra Space Corporation s Dream Chaser was chosen as one of the commercial spacecraft to transport commercial crew to and from the space station along with Boeing s Starliner 86 CRS 2 cargo version edit nbsp Artist s conception of the crewed Dream Chaser docked to International Space Station The cargo version of the SSC Dream Chaser is called the Dream Chaser Cargo System DCCS and after development is completed will fly resupply flights to the ISS under NASA s Commercial Resupply Services 2 program Featuring an expendable cargo module mounting solar panels the spacecraft will be capable of returning 1 750 kg 3 860 lb to Earth while undergoing maximum re entry forces of 1 5G 87 88 To meet CRS 2 guidelines the cargo Dream Chaser will have folding wings and fit within a 5 m diameter payload fairing in contrast to the Crewed Dream Chaser which is intended to launch without a fairing The ability to fit into a payload fairing allows the cargo version to launch on any sufficiently capable vehicle such as the retired Ariane 5 as well as the soon to be retired Atlas V An expendable cargo module will launch attached to the back of the spacecraft expanding the cargo uplift capacity and supporting the disposal of up to 3 250 kg 7 170 lb of trash Total uplift is planned for 5 000 kg 11 000 lb pressurized and 500 kg 1 100 lb unpressurized with a downlift of 1 750 kg 3 860 lb contained within the spaceplane 89 The expendable cargo module is called Shooting Star 1 On August 14 2019 it was announced that all six Dream Chaser CRS 2 flights would be carried into orbit by ULA s Vulcan launch vehicle with the first Dream Chaser flight being the second Vulcan flight in late 2021 2 90 However on February 9 2022 Ken Shields Sierra Space s Director of Commercial Market Development announced that the first flight would be pushed to January 2023 91 The launch has been further delayed and as of February 2024 is scheduled for June 2024 75 National Security version edit On November 19 2021 Sierra Space announced that it is considering a third Dream Chaser version specialized for National Security missions though it declined to comment on what the differences compared with other versions would be 92 Dream Chaser Global Project editIn December 2013 the German Aerospace Center DLR announced a funded study to investigate ways in which Europe might take advantage of the Dream Chaser crewed spaceplane technology Named the DC4EU Dream Chaser for European Utilization the project will study using it for sending crews and cargo to the ISS and on missions not involving the ISS particularly in orbits of substantially greater altitude than the ISS can reach 93 In January 2014 the European Space Agency ESA agreed to be a partner on the DC4EU project and will also investigate whether the Dream Chaser can use ESA avionics and docking mechanisms ESA will also study launching options for the Europeanized Dream Chaser particularly whether it can be launched from the Guiana Space Centre within the Ariane 5 s large aerodynamic cargo fairing or like the Atlas V without it In order to fit within the fairing the Dream Chaser s wing length will have to be reduced slightly which is thought to be easier than going through a full aerodynamic test program to evaluate and prove it along with the Ariane for flight without the fairing 94 The Ariane 5 launch vehicle was designed from its inception to be crew rated in order to launch the Hermes Spaceplane an ESA crewed vehicle which was proposed in the 1980s and 1990s but was cancelled In late January 2014 it was announced that the Dream Chaser orbital test vehicle was under contract to be launched on an initial orbital test flight using an Atlas V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in November 2016 This was a privately arranged commercial agreement and was funded directly by Sierra Nevada and was not a part of any existing NASA contract 52 In September 2014 SNC announced that it would with global partners use the Dream Chaser as the baseline spacecraft for orbital access for a variety of programs specializing the craft as needed 95 On 5 November 2014 SNC s Space Systems team publicly presented the challenges and opportunities related to landing the Dream Chaser spacecraft at public use airports 96 Dream Chaser uses standard landing aids and non toxic propellants that require no special handling 97 Dream Chaser for European Utilization edit On February 3 2015 the Sierra Nevada Corporation s SNC Space Systems and OHB System AG OHB in Germany announced the completion of the initial Dream Chaser for European Utilization DC4EU study 98 The study found that Dream Chaser is suitable for a broad range of space applications and could be used to advance European interests in space 99 The cooperation was renewed in April 2015 for an additional two years 99 needs update United Nations edit The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs UNOOSA selected the cargo Dream Chaser for its first space launch This launch is intended to last for at least two weeks in freeflight to provide space access to United Nations member states that have no space programs of their own 100 In 2019 the launch date for the proposed mission expected to carry up to 35 payloads was set for 2024 101 List of vehicles editDream Chaser vehicles 102 Type Serial Name Status Flights Time in flight Notes Cat Prototype ETA Eagle Retired 4 5 minutes Engineering Test Article ETA used for captive carry and atmospheric drop tests Prototype FTA Ascension Active 0 None Flight Test Article FTA to be used for atmospheric tests Cargo DC101 103 Tenacity Completed 104 0 None Spacecraft to be flown on SSC Demo 1 mission Cargo DC102 Reverence Under construction 0 None Sierra Space vague in response to NASA OIG report 105 106 Crewed DC201 TBA Unknown 0 None Appeared in a Sierra Space social media post along with Tenacity The Aviation Week article that was linked indicated that For the next generation crewed DC 200 series Sierra Space is studying a twin tail fixed wing design No other details were provided 107 Test vehicle Spaceflight vehicleMissions editList only includes manifested missions A demonstration and six missions are currently planned to be launched from Cape Canaveral SLC 41 on Vulcan Centaur and one more flight has been ordered to fly from Guiana Space Center citation needed for the United Nations on board an Arianespace vehicle Dream Chaser flights Mission Spacecraft Launch date Landing date Launch vehicle Description Outcome Captive Test 1 ETA Eagle 29 May 2012 29 May 2012 Erickson Skycrane a 1st atmospheric test Success Captive Test 2 ETA Eagle 22 August 2013 22 August 2013 Erickson Skycrane 2nd atmospheric test Success Drop Test 1 ETA Eagle 26 October 2013 26 October 2013 Erickson Skycrane 1st free flight test Partial success Drop Test 2 ETA Eagle 11 November 2017 11 November 2017 Boeing Vertol Model 234 Commercial Chinook variant 2nd free flight test Success SSC Demo 1 DC101 Tenacity June 2024 75 2024 Vulcan Centaur b First orbital flight second Vulcan launch demonstration flight of Dream Chaser to ISS for NASA Duration of 82 days Planned SSC CRS 1 TBA NET 2024 NET 2024 Vulcan Centaur 1st contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned SSC CRS 2 TBA NET 2024 NET 2024 Vulcan Centaur 2nd contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned SSC CRS 3 TBA NET 2025 NET 2025 Vulcan Centaur 3rd contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned SSC CRS 4 TBA NET 2025 NET 2025 Vulcan Centaur 4th contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned DC UNOOSA 1 TBA NET 2025 NET 2025 Arianespace vehicle To carry 35 payloads for the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs 101 Planned SSC CRS 5 TBA NET 2026 NET 2026 Vulcan Centaur 5th contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned SSC CRS 6 TBA NET 2026 NET 2026 Vulcan Centaur 6th contracted CRS mission for NASA Planned A helicopter used for lifting the vehicle Orbital flights of Dream Chaser were first planned to use Atlas V but switched to Vulcan Future flights on Ariane 6 are also proposed See also edit nbsp Spaceflight portal Spaceplanes RLV Technology Demonstration Programme Boeing X 37 Space Rider NASA X 38 Boeing X 20 Dyna Soar Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 105 Hermes spacecraft RSC Energia Kliper Other ISS cargo vehicles Comparison of space station cargo vehicles Commercial Resupply Services Automated Transfer Vehicle Cygnus spacecraft SpaceX Dragon 1 SpaceX Dragon 2 H II Transfer Vehicle Progress spacecraft Soyuz GVK Other ISS crew vehicles Commercial Crew Development Boeing Starliner SpaceX Crew Dragon Orel spacecraft Soyuz spacecraft References edit a b Foust Jeff January 14 2020 Sierra Nevada explores other uses of Dream Chaser spacenews com Retrieved July 11 2020 a b c SNC Selects ULA for Dream Chaser Spacecraft Launches Sierra Nevada Corporation Press release August 14 2019 Retrieved August 14 2019 Dream Chaser Model Drops in at NASA Dryden Press release Dryden Flight Research Center NASA December 17 2010 Archived from the original on January 6 2014 Retrieved August 29 2012 NASA Selects Sierra Nevada Corporation s Dream Chaser Spacecraft for Commercial Resupply Services 2 Contract Sierra Nevada Corporation SNC Retrieved January 28 2024 a b Klingler Dave September 6 2012 50 years to orbit Dream Chaser s crazy Cold War backstory The reusable mini spaceplane is back from the dead again and prepping for space Ars Technica Boston Conde Nast p 3 Archived from the original on November 4 2013 Retrieved September 7 2012 Doug Messier May 24 2014 Virgin Galactic Hails RocketMotorTwo Milestone ParabolicArc Messier Doug August 19 2014 SNC Abandons Own Hybrid Motors on Dream Chaser Parabolic Arc Archived from the original on March 16 2016 Retrieved March 26 2016 Tile Shop Prepping Heat Shields for Future Flights blogs nasa gov 2015 Retrieved November 10 2018 Toughened Uni piece Fibrous Reinforced Oxidation Resistant Composite TUFROC NASA Retrieved April 1 2023 Thompson Amy November 21 2019 Sierra Nevada Unveils Shooting Star Cargo Module for Dream Chaser Space Plane Space com Retrieved July 20 2020 Jelen Bill Sierra Nevada Corporation Shows Off Shooting Star Cargo Module at KSC We Report Space Retrieved July 20 2020 SNC S SHOOTING STAR ARRIVES AT NASA S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER SNC Sierra Nevada Corporation Retrieved July 20 2020 SNC Shooting Star Transport Vehicle PDF SNC Sierra Nevada Corporation Retrieved July 20 2020 Ben Evans July 17 2020 SNC Shooting Star Wins Contract for Unmanned Orbital Outpost AmericaSpace Retrieved July 20 2020 a b Frank Morring Jr February 19 2010 Sierra Nevada Building On NASA Design Aviation Week permanent dead link a b c Rosenberg Zach January 30 2013 Lockheed to build second Dream Chaser airframe for Sierra Nevada Flightglobal Sutton Surrey UK Archived from the original on January 7 2014 Retrieved March 25 2013 a b Dean James January 30 2013 Sierra Nevada s Dream Chaser will get Lockheed Martin s help Florida Today Melbourne Florida Archived from the original on February 17 2013 Retrieved February 11 2013 De Chiara Giuseppe November 19 2012 From HL 20 to Dream Chaser The Long story of a little spaceplane NASASpaceflight com p 26 Once that the HL 20 program was ceased it seems that such small spaceplane should be quickly forgotten except for a bunch of space enthusiast all over the world The HL 20 story was no to end since in mid 2004 Jim Benson announced that the HL 20 development would be continued by his SpaceDev as Dream Chaser spacecraft The SpaceDev was acquired by Sierra Nevada Corporation at the very end of 2008 Dream Chaser Sierra Nevada s Design for Spaceflight space com November 14 2017 Retrieved May 2 2021 H Phillips Edward July 15 1991 Langley Refines Design Begins Human Factors Tests of Personnel Launch System Aviation Week amp Space Technology p 52 The HL 20 s baseline design has evolved from manned lifting bodies flown for the Defense Dept during the 1960s and owes much of its overall layout to the Martin X 24A Wallace Lance E 1996 Flights of Discovery 50 Years at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center PDF NASA p 72 Archived from the original PDF on February 17 2015 The lifting body program came to an official end in 1975 Yet like a Phoenix rising from the ashes the concept has appeared several times since then in proposed NASA spacecraft When the Langley Research Center revealed its HL 20 design for an emergency crew return vehicle or small mini Shuttle in 1990 the shape was remarkably similar to the HL 10 and X 24A designs R Asker James September 24 1990 NASA Design for Manned Spacecraft Draws on Soviet Subscale Spaceplane Aviation Week amp Space Technology p 28 A mock up of the proposed space taxi called the HL 20 Personnel Launch System closely resembles a Soviet subscale spaceplane flown on four orbital missions in the 1980s However Piland chief of the space systems division at the Langley Research Center was quick to point out the Soviet test vehicle seems to have evolved from U S lifting body configurations flown from 1966 to 1975 such as Northrop s HL 10 M2 F2 and M2 F3 and Martin s X 24A and X 24B R Dale Reed 1997 Wingless Flight The Lifting Body Story PDF NASA p 180 ISBN 9780160493904 Archived from the original PDF on December 18 2014 The NASA lifting body program has been well documented in about 100 technical reports on the program s 222 flights and 20 000 hours of wind tunnel tests Many of these publications are unclassified The Soviet Union purchased copies of these reports from NASA Headquarters in Washington D C then designed its own lifting body In 1982 the Soviets flight tested an unpiloted 10 foot long subscale version of their lifting body the BOR 4 including a maneuvering re entry over the Indian Ocean from space orbit The flight test of the BOR 4 closely resembled that of our PRIME X 23 vehicle in 1966 Klingler Dave September 6 2012 50 years to orbit Dream Chaser s crazy Cold War backstory The reusable mini spaceplane is back from the dead again and prepping for space ars Technical Boston Conde Nast p 2 Archived from the original on January 4 2014 Retrieved September 7 2012 Mewhinney Michael NASA SPACEDEV TO COLLABORATE ON FUTURE SPACE TRANSPORTATION NASA Ames Research Center Archived from the original on August 3 2009 Retrieved January 15 2016 SpaceDev and United Launch Alliance to Explore Launching the Dream Chaser TM Space Vehicle on an Atlas V Launch Vehicle Press release Poway California SpaceDev Market Wire April 10 2007 Archived from the original on January 7 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 NASA Signs Commercial Space Transportation Agreements NASA June 18 2007 Archived from the original on June 21 2007 Retrieved August 16 2011 Fikes Bradley J October 21 2008 SpaceDev agrees to be acquired U T San Diego Archived from the original on January 7 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 SNC receives largest award of NASA s CCDev Competitive Contract SNC February 1 2010 Archived from the original on February 7 2010 Text of Space Act Agreement PDF Archived from the original PDF on April 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2010 Commercial Crew Sierra Nevada NASA Archived from the original on July 23 2012 Retrieved July 25 2012 Dream Chaser Model Drops in at NASA Dryden NASA January 31 2017 Archived from the original on June 12 2012 Retrieved February 6 2011 Chang Kenneth February 1 2011 Businesses Take Flight With Help From NASA New York Times p D1 Archived from the original on August 9 2014 Retrieved August 29 2012 Sierra Nevada Space Systems Adds Key Former Nasa Leaders to Its Dream Chaser Orbital Space Vehicle Team Press release Louisville Colorado July 5 2011 Archived from the original on January 6 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 Dean James NASA awards 270 million for commercial crew efforts Archived April 19 2011 at the Wayback Machine space com April 18 2011 Sierra nevada corporation s dream chaser space system passes preliminary design review SNC Release June 6 2012 Archived from the original on August 13 2012 Sierra nevada corporation begins flight test program of the dream chaser orbital crew vehicle SNC Release May 30 2012 Archived from the original on August 13 2012 Sierra Nevada Corporation s Space Systems Delivers the Dream Chaser First Flight Test Vehicle Structure Completing a Major Milestone for NASA s Commercial Crew Program Press release Archived from the original on April 8 2013 Sierra Nevada s Dream Chaser spacecraft tested at Broomfield airport dailycamera com May 29 2012 Archived from the original on May 31 2012 Retrieved May 29 2012 Lindsey Clark May 14 2013 More about SNC preparations for drop tests of Dream Chaser prototype NewSpace Watch Retrieved May 14 2013 a b Bergin Chris May 12 2013 Dream Chaser ETA heads to Dryden for drop tests NasaSpaceFlight com Archived from the original on December 16 2013 Retrieved May 14 2013 Wall Mike August 26 2013 Dream Chaser space plane dangles from helicopter for second flight test NBC News New York Archived from the original on January 8 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 a b SNC and NASA Langley announce Five Years of Partnership Archived from the original on July 31 2012 a b Sierra Nevada Corporation Announces Successful Completion of Dream Chaser Cew Vehicle Nose Gear Landing Test SNC Archived from the original on August 7 2012 Retrieved August 15 2012 a b Sierra Nevada Completes Dream Chaser Safety Review May 10 2013 Archived from the original on June 10 2013 Retrieved May 15 2013 Boeing SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Win CCiCAP Awards spacenews com August 3 2012 Bolden Jay March 13 2013 NASA Astronaut Lee Archambault Leaving Agency NASA Retrieved March 25 2013 NASA Astronaut Lee Archambault Joins Sierra Nevada as Test Pilot March 13 2013 Archived from the original on March 17 2013 Retrieved March 25 2013 Bergin Chris October 26 2013 Dream Chaser suffers landing gear failure after first flight NASA Spaceflight Archived from the original on February 28 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 Harwood William October 29 2013 Sierra Nevada investigates Dream Chaser landing mishap CBS News New York Archived from the original on January 6 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 David Leonard October 29 2013 Private Dream Chaser Space Plane Skids Off Runway After Milestone Test Flight Video Space com New York Archived from the original on January 30 2014 Retrieved January 6 2014 a b Dream Chaser mini shuttle given 2016 launch date BBC News January 24 2014 Dream Chaser passes Wind Tunnel tests for CCiCap Milestone NASASpaceflight com May 19 2014 Retrieved January 2 2015 First Piece of Private Dream Chaser Space Plane Unveiled Space com August 6 2014 Schierholz Stephanie Martin Stephanie September 16 2014 NASA Chooses American Companies to Transport U S Astronauts to International Space Station www nasa gov Archived from the original on September 19 2014 Retrieved September 17 2014 Norris Guy Why NASA Rejected Sierra Nevada s Commercial Crew Vehicle Aviation Week amp Space Technology October 11 2014 Accessed 2014 10 13 Archived on October 13 2014 Keeney Laura October 3 2014 So Sierra Nevada protested NASA space taxi contract but what s next Denver Post Retrieved October 5 2014 Browne Clayton October 22 2014 NASA Wins Boeing and Space X Shuttle Contracts Ruled Valid ValueWalk Retrieved January 15 2016 Sierra Nevada Corporation Introduces Dream Chaser Global Project Spaceflight Program Sept 30 SpaceRef December 29 2014 Retrieved September 29 2014 permanent dead link Sierra Nevada completes Dream Chaser s milestone 15a for prior phase of Commercial Crew Spaceflight Insider December 3 2014 Archived from the original on December 8 2014 Retrieved December 3 2014 SNC Tests Dream Chaser Propulsion System NASA Blog blogs nasa gov December 2 2014 Retrieved December 2 2014 Messier Doug December 23 2014 Sierra Nevada Alleges Boeing Benefitted From Commercial Crew Criteria Changes Parabolic Arc Retrieved December 25 2014 Davenport Christian GAO denies Sierra Nevada s legal challenge to NASA space contract Washington Post Retrieved January 5 2015 Christian Davenport February 13 2015 Grounded Left behind in the contracting race to restore Americans to space The Washington Post NASA Awards International Space Station Cargo Transport Contracts NASA News January 12 2016 Retrieved January 15 2016 Dan Leone January 24 2015 Weather Sat CRS 2 Top U S Civil Space Procurement Agenda for 2015 SpaceNews com Dream Chaser preps for 2nd free flight test and first orbital test Space Daily October 9 2015 Bergin Chris October 6 2015 Dream Chaser still fighting for her place in space www nasaspaceflight com Retrieved April 7 2021 Kenneth Chang November 11 2017 Dream Chaser Space Plane Aces Glide Test The New York Times The New York Times Retrieved November 15 2017 Dream Chaser through critical landing test prepares for orbital flights nasaspaceflight com November 24 2017 Retrieved January 28 2019 Sampson Ben March 27 2019 Dream Chaser spacecraft passes testing milestone Aerospace Testing International Retrieved August 14 2019 Dream Chaser Spacecraft Passes Another NASA Milestone Sierra Nevada Corporation Press release March 21 2019 Retrieved August 14 2019 Foust Jeff November 18 2020 First Dream Chaser mission slips to 2022 spacenews com Retrieved April 7 2021 Michael Sheetz thesheetztweetz May 17 2022 Weigel The second Vulcan flight carrying the first SierraSpaceCo cargo Dream Chaser to the ISS is currently scheduled for February 2023 We ll be ready when they re ready Tweet via Twitter a b c Vulcan Centaur VC4 CRS SNC 1 Next Spaceflight Retrieved February 11 2024 Gamillo Elizabeth May 9 2024 Dream Chaser spaceplane completes tests at NASA s Neil Armstrong facility Astronomy Magazine Retrieved May 10 2024 NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver touts Colorado s role Youtube com February 5 2011 Retrieved August 29 2012 a b c d Sirangelo Mark August 2011 NewSpace 2011 Sierra Nevada Corporation Spacevidcast Retrieved August 16 2011 Sirangelo Mark August 24 2014 Flight Plans and Crews for Commercial Dream Chaser s First Flights One on One Interview With SNC VP Mark Sirangelo Part 3 AmericaSpace Moving Forward Commercial Crew Development Building the Next Era in Spaceflight PDF Rendezvous Where Today Meets Tomorrow 4 2 10 15 Summer 2010 Archived PDF from the original on May 10 2013 Retrieved January 6 2014 a b The Space Show Mark Sirangelo interview David Livingston January 4 2012 Retrieved January 7 2012 DREAM CHASER ON TRACK FOR 2021 CARGO MISSION CREW WITHIN 5 YEARS spacepolicy com Retrieved July 11 2020 Sierra Nevada Corporation to spin off space division spacenews com April 14 2021 Retrieved April 22 2021 With a huge infusion of cash Sierra Space hopes to get its Dream Chaser spaceplane and space station off the ground washingtonpost cim Retrieved November 21 2021 Davenport Justin October 27 2021 Blue Origin Sierra Space and Boeing announce Orbital Reef nasaspaceflight com Retrieved November 30 2021 Chappell Bill October 25 2021 Blue Origin says it will build an orbiting mixed use business park in space NPR Retrieved November 30 2021 Grush Loren October 25 2021 Blue Origin reveals plans for future commercial space station called Orbital Reef The Verge Retrieved November 29 2021 Sierra Nevada Hopes Dream Chaser Finds Sweet Spot of ISS Cargo Competition SpaceNews March 18 2015 Retrieved February 20 2016 Jeff Foust March 13 2015 Lockheed Martin Pitches Reusable Tug for Space Station Resupply Space News Jeff Foust March 17 2015 Sierra Nevada Hopes Dream Chaser Finds Sweet Spot of ISS Cargo Competition Space News SNC Selects ULA for Dream Chaser Spacecraft Launches NASA Missions to Begin in 2021 United Launch Alliance August 14 2019 Retrieved August 14 2019 Interview with Sierra Space Dream Chaser launch set for January 2023 Orbital Reef space station manufacturing in space amp more Space Explored February 9 2022 Retrieved February 23 2022 Sierra Space raises 1 4 billion SpaceNews November 19 2021 Retrieved January 5 2022 Messier Doug December 16 2013 German Space Agency Funds Study on Uses of Sierra Nevada s Dream Chaser Parabolic Arc Mojave California Archived from the original on December 16 2013 Retrieved December 16 2013 Clark Stephen January 8 2014 Europe eyes cooperation on Dream Chaser space plane Spaceflight Now Archived from the original on January 9 2014 Retrieved January 9 2014 Sierra Nevada Corporation to Introduce Dream Chaser Global Project Spaceflight Program Sept 30 SNC September 29 2014 Sierra Nevada Corporation to Present Progress on Evaluating Dream Chaser Landing at Public Use Airports WFXS FOX55 WAUSAU November 5 2014 Archived from the original on November 7 2014 Retrieved November 1 2014 Challenges and Opportunities Related to Landing the Dream Chaser Commercial Reusable Space Vehicle at a Public Use Airport ERAU Scholarly Commons November 5 2014 Retrieved November 1 2014 Completion of the initial DC4EU study March 2 2015 http www sncorp com AboutUs NewsDetails 749 a b de Selding Peter B April 17 2015 DLR Renews Cooperation with SNC on Dream Chaser Space News Retrieved April 21 2015 Seemangal Robin October 3 2016 Dream Chaser The Spacecraft That Will Transform Humanity s Access to Space The Observer New York a b Pesce Ottavia Schwandt Kimberly October 22 2019 UNOOSA and Sierra Nevada Corporation announce Call for Interest to provide landing site for Dream Chaser spacecraft mission carrying experiments from UN Member States Sierra Nevada Corporation Press release Retrieved February 26 2020 Dream Chaser Cargo Gunter s Space Page Retrieved September 30 2020 SierraSpaceCo May 20 2022 DutchSpace DC 101 Tweet via Twitter Sierra Space completes first Dream Chaser spacenews com November 6 2023 Retrieved November 6 2023 OIG Staff April 26 2018 Audit of Commercial Resupply Services to the International Space Center PDF NASA Office of Inspector General Report Vol IG 18 016 NASA pp 27 28 Retrieved December 11 2023 In August 2017 ISS Program officials said Sierra was considering building a second Dream Chaser to be completed by 2021 but no decision had been made as of October 2017 In the event of a failure Sierra officials told us in June 2017 that a second spacecraft could be built from spare parts without additional costs to NASA nbsp This article incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain SierraSpaceCo August 30 2022 And then there were two DreamsWorthChasing Tweet via Twitter SierraSpaceCo January 6 2023 Sierra Space s Dream Chaser Tenacity is on track to become the first operational commercial spaceplane with a lifting body Tweet via Twitter External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dream Chaser Sierra Space web site Sierra Space Dream Chaser page SpaceDev web site United Launch Alliance web site CG rendering of Dream Chaser servicing ISS Video animation SpaceDev International Lunar Observatory Human Servicing Mission concept Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dream Chaser amp oldid 1223482770, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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