NASA and Sierra Space make progress on Dream Chaser's first flight to space station

Sierra Space, a leading aerospace company, and NASA are forging ahead with plans to launch an uncrewed cargo spaceplane, named Dream Chaser, to the International Space Station. The spaceplane has entered the final testing phase ahead of its first flight in 2024 as part of a multi-mission NASA contract.

The Dream Chaser cargo system, manufactured by Sierra Space, comprises the Dream Chaser spacecraft and the Shooting Star cargo module.

• The spacecraft is designed to be reused up to 15 times and is modified from the HL-20 spacecraft developed at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
• The cargo module is designed to support the delivery and disposal of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to and from the space station. It can be used only once and will be disposed of before re-entry.

The Dream Chaser system will launch aboard a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan Centaur rocket from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. In the event of a scrub, Dream Chaser is designed to be ready for launch within 24 hours.

During the inaugural flight, Sierra Space will conduct in-orbit demonstrations to certify Dream Chaser for future missions. Far-field demons will be conducted outside the vicinity of the space station while near-field demonstrations will happen closer to the space station. After these demonstrations, Dream Chaser will move towards the space station.

The maiden flight will see Dream Chaser delivering over 7,800 pounds of cargo while its future missions envision longer stays attached to the ISS, accommodating up to 75 days and delivering as much as 11,500 pounds of cargo.

The spacecraft can return over 3,500 pounds of cargo and experiment samples to Earth, while over 8,700 pounds of trash can be disposed of during reentry using its cargo module.

Following vibration testing, Dream Chaser will be moved to the propulsion facility for thermal vacuum testing to simulates the environment the spacecraft will encounter during its mission to the @Space_Station.NASA Blog: https://t.co/WX1FHKaZe1 pic.twitter.com/meUMuFJsN7

— Sierra Space (@SierraSpaceCo) December 15, 2023