NASA and Sierra Space are delivering the Dream Chaser spaceplane to Florida for launch preparation

As part of NASA’s efforts to expand commercial supplies in low Earth orbit, Sierra Space’s unmanned spaceplane arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of its first flight to the International Space Station.

The Dream Chaser spaceplane, named Tenacity, arrived in Kennedy on May 18 in a climate-controlled transport container from NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, and joined the companion cargo module Shooting Star, which arrived on May 11.

Before arriving at Kennedy, the spaceplane and its cargo module underwent vibration testing on the world’s most powerful and capable spacecraft shaker system at NASA’s Space Environments Complex, subjecting the stack to vibrations similar to those experienced during launch and re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. After vibration testing, the duo was transferred to NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Facility and exposed to low ambient pressure and temperatures ranging from -150 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Upon arrival at Kennedy, teams transported Dream Chaser Tenacity to the high bay within the Space Systems Processing Facility, where it will undergo final testing and launch preparation prior to its launch scheduled for later this year.

The spaceplane will lift off aboard a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and is expected to deliver 7,800 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory.

Remaining preflight activities at Kennedy include acoustic and electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing, completion of work on the spaceplane thermal protection system, and final payload integration.

Dream Chaser is a spaceplane with a lifting body design that is 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. The unique wing design allows it to carry cargo to and from low Earth orbit and maintain the ability to land on a NASA Space Shuttle-style runway. The 15-foot-long Shooting Star module can carry up to 7,000 pounds of cargo internally and features three unpressurized external payload mounts.

The partially reusable transport system will conduct at least seven cargo missions to the space station as part of the agency’s efforts to expand commercial resupply services in low Earth orbit. Future missions could last up to 75 days and carry up to 11,500 pounds of cargo.

While the Dream Chaser spacecraft is reusable and can return up to 3,500 pounds of cargo to Earth, the Shooting Star module is designed to be jettisoned and burned upon re-entry, allowing up to 8,500 pounds of trash to be disposed of on each mission.

Dream Chaser Tenacity is the first of a planned fleet of Sierra Space spaceplanes to help carry out these missions.

As part of the process to certify the vehicle system for future agency resupply missions, NASA and Sierra Space will put the spaceplane through its paces once it is in orbit. As Dream Chaser Tenacity approaches the space station, it will conduct a series of demonstrations to test attitude control, translational maneuvers and abort capabilities. After completing the maneuverability demonstration, space station astronauts will use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to grab the spacecraft and dock it at an Earth-facing port.

After remaining in the orbiting laboratory for approximately 45 days, the spaceplane will be released from the station and return to Kennedy’s launch and landing facility for landing. After landing, Dream Chaser will be shut down and the Sierra Space team will take it back to the processing facility to conduct necessary inspections, offload remaining NASA cargo, and begin preparation for its next mission.