With Aerospace Perceptions delving into the realms of both aviation and spaceflight, Sierra Space have hit the sweet spot in interest with their Dream Chaser program – a lifting-body spaceplane. But it’s been a long time coming.
How long? It reminds me of when I was writing a book about early
aerodynamic programs in motorsports. I went to interview several
aerodynamicists at Chrysler’s headquarters who had previously worked at the company’s
missile division in Alabama. When I arrived, I had to cool my heels because the
wind tunnel was hosting several models that needed to be hidden – vehicles planned
for five to ten years in the future.
The initial Dream Chaser concept, with a certain other well-known spaceplane in the background. Image: Sierra Space
When I covered STS-135 in 2011 – the final flight of the Space
Shuttle orbiter Atlantis and the conclusion of that entire program – Sierra Nevada
Corporation had a presence at Kennedy Space Center’s media operations with an
early concept design of their Dream Chaser spaceplane. The spin-off Sierra
Space Corporation was formed in 2021, and here we are now, just over a dozen years from the
STS-135 mission. Dream Chaser is finally on the horizon of an actual mission.
An operation conception of Tenacity in orbital action. Image: Sierra Space
To get to this point it took tenacity, and that’s exactly
the name Sierra Space chose for its first operational spaceplane, following up
on engineering test vehicles. Tenacity - officially designated DC-101
Tenacity – was completed in November 2023.
Tenacity nearing completion of the vehicle construction
phase. Photo: Sierra Space
Tenacity’s first voyage will be one that is earthbound, from
Sierra Space’s Colorado headquarters to Ohio’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility.
There the vehicle will undergo a series of environmental tests to prove its space-worthiness.
If all goes well, Tenacity will then initiate Dream Chaser
space operations later this year as a cargo vehicle, supplying the International
Space Station. Launched into orbit via a Vulcan Centaur rocket developed by
United Launch Alliance, Tenacity will then return to earth upon completion of
the ISS resupply, making use of its unique design to land on a conventional
runway.
The planned crew configuration of a Dream Chaser Space System vehicle. The latest designs depict this DC-200 series spacecraft without the front windows seem in earlier conceptions. Image: Sierra Space
The planned near-future flight to the ISS will be the first outing of Sierra
Space’s Dream Chaser Cargo System; crewed vehicles are planned to follow under
the Dream Chaser Space System program, beginning in 2025.
For more on Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser efforts, please
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