Dream Chaser completes more pre-flight milestones

Date:
Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:55:15 +0000

Description:
Testing continues ahead of the first flight of Dream Chaser. The so-called mini shuttle will The post Dream Chaser completes more pre-flight milestones appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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Testing continues ahead of the first flight of Dream Chaser. The so-called mini shuttle will be the first spacecraft to dock to the International Space Station (ISS) and then land back at the Launch and Landing Facility (LLF), formerly the Shuttle Landing Facility, since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

Tenacity, the first Dream Chaser flight vehicle, will fly cargo missions to the ISS under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 round of NASA contracts. Sierra Space would be the third and final company to fly under this contract. Northrop Grummans Cygnus resupply vehicle along with SpaceXs Cargo Dragon v2 complete the contract. Dream Chaser is expected to provide a minimum of seven uncrewed cargo missions under this contract.

In response to NSF, Sierra Space outlined the remaining steps ahead of the reusable vehicles first flight.

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The craft, currently in Florida, is next set to perform Electromagnetic Interference and Electromagnetic Compatibility testing (EMI/EMC). This typically involves specific tests to determine if unintentional signals
output from an electronic system through conductors or as electromagnetic radiation are lower than specified limits. This makes sure the onboard electronics can operate when subjected to electromagnetic radiation while in space.

That will be followed by acoustic testing, which is used to simulate a launch environment. Vibrations during launches are usually at a higher frequency range than when operating under normal conditions. The spacecraft is placed
in a special chamber to make sure the vehicle and systems can withstand the approximately eight minute ride uphill.

For now, the vehicle is set to launch atop United Launch Alliances (ULA) newest vehicle, Vulcan, in particular the 542 variant (flying with a 5-meter payload fairing, four Northrop Grumman GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, and a dual-engine Centaur upper stage). Vulcan Centaur stands ready for the Cert-2 mission at SLC-41 (Credit: NSF)

So far, the vehicle has only flown twice. When asked, Sierra Space said there are no plans to use any other launch provider. However, Dream Chaser is designed to be launch vehicle agnostic, meaning it can fly on any heavy
launch vehicle inside of a five-meter fairing.

This is similar to the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft, which while primarily launching aboard Antares, has previously flown aboard Atlas V and Falcon 9.

Following this, Tenacity will undergo Day in the Life testing, which checks out the final flight hardware and software integration. This allows Sierra Space to demonstrate full functionality throughout all phases of flight from launch to landing.

The final two tests involve a tow and taxi test on the ground and then a hot fire demonstration of the spacecrafts onboard propulsion system. Sierra Space is using a mixture of Rocket Propellant 1 (RP-1), which is a refined form of kerosene, along with hydrogen peroxide, for maneuvering the vehicle. This is different from the traditional hypergolic propellants, such as hydrazine, which ignites when coming in contact with an oxidizer but is quite toxic to humans. Dream Chasers flight test article eases onto the Runway at Edwards
Air Force Base, California during an early approach and landing test.
(Credit: Sierra Space)

During its first flight, the spacecraft, along with its cargo module called Shooting Star, will dock to the ISS with more than 3,530 kg (7,800 lbs) of supplies and science. Sierra Space says the mission requirements for how long it will stay docked can change based on mission requirements and NASA scheduling, but are planning for between 30 and 90 days in orbit on a mission with up to 75 days docked to the station.

One of the major advancements is the thermal protection system (TPS) used on Dream Chaser.

The tiles serve multiple purposes. In addition to protecting the vehicle during reentry, it will also help normalize the temperature within the craft while in direct sunlight. Temperatures can get as hot as 250 F (120 C) during orbital daylight. The tiles can help to maintain a steady temperature for experiments.

Unlike the shuttle, which used a mixture of tiles and thermal blankets, Tenacity is covered in approximately two thousand individual black and white tiles that can withstand up to 2,600 F (1,420 C) for multiple reentry cycles. Certain specialized tiles can go to higher temperatures for single use, the company told NSF in an earlier interview. DreamChaser Tenacity under construction at Sierra Space. (Credit: Trevor Sesnic for NSF)

Given there is no thermal blanket, Sierra Space is taking all steps to ensure the integrity of the TPS and the tiles. Part of it is the variation of which tiles are located on which parts of the vehicle for both temperature and impact resistance.

Second, unlike the Space Shuttle which rode attached to the side of a large external tank and two solid rocket boosters, Dream Chaser launches inside of
a protective fairing, which the company says prevents tile damage caused by falling pieces of foam or ice as a result of launch vibrations, as was seen during the shuttle program.

The goal remains for the first flight of Tenacity this year. That spacecraft is expected to fly the first four missions to the ISS. A second vehicle,
named Reverence, is currently undergoing primary structure work at the Dream Factory located in Louisville, Colorado, and will fly on flight five.

(Lead image: Dream Chaser undergoes testing at NASA Glenn in early 2024. Credit: Max Evans for NSF)



The post Dream Chaser completes more pre-flight milestones appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/03/dream-chaser-pre-flight-milestones/


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