In the coming weeks, testing of the world’s first commercial space aircraft capable of orbital flights will begin. NASA will test the Dream Chaser from Sierra Space, which is designed to resupply the International Space Station (ISS), according to reports.
The spacecraft, named “Tenasiti,” is currently located at Sierra Space in Colorado and will soon be transported to the NASA testing ground in Ohio. Engineers from the agency will conduct a series of tests for one to three months, including vibrational, acoustic, and temperature trials, to ensure that the vehicle can withstand the conditions of a missile launch.
It is planned that the Tenasiti will embark on its first space journey in April 2024 on the Vulcan rocket from United Launch Alliance. However, the first test flight of the rocket is expected only in December, and delays are possible, as is common in the space industry.
A distinctive feature of the Dream Chaser is its folding wings, which allow it to be placed in the cargo compartment of the rocket. During the first mission, the spaceplane will spend 45 days at the ISS before returning to Earth. Instead of landing in the ocean like many spacecraft, it will land on the former shuttle landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The CEO of Sierra Space, Tom Weiss, emphasized the advantages of runway landings, stating that “landing in the ocean is terrible, and landing on the runway is really good.” The company claims that the Dream Chaser is capable of returning cargo to land with accelerations of less than 1.5 g, which is crucial for preserving sensitive goods.
The space aircraft will be able to deliver up to 12,000 pounds of cargo to the ISS and return 4,000 pounds back to Earth. Sierra Space also plans to adapt the Dream Chaser fleet in the future for transporting people to low-Earth orbit.
Currently, SpaceX is the only company operating fully certified spacecraft for NASA missions. Boeing, which received a contract for the development of a capsule for NASA in 2014, has not yet transported astronauts to the ISS with its Starliner. Sierra Nevada, the parent company of Sierra Space, competed with these companies for contracts as part of the NASA commercial program but did not receive an order. However, after reorienting the Dream Chaser for cargo operations, NASA selected Sierra as one of the transport service providers in 2016.