More Updates On Dream Chaser & Its Upcoming Launch
Sierra Space is staying busy with continued work on its Dream Chaser spaceplane. This next generation spacecraft is hoping to become a main mode of transportation for crew and cargo into low Earth orbit. Currently, the spacecraft is still targeting the third quarter of 2023 for its maiden launch on top of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur.
In the last couple of days, Sierra Space has released more information about the spacecraft and its propulsion system in particular. While a dedicated launch vehicle does the majority of the work in order to get Dream Chaser out of Earth’s atmosphere, it still needs an extra boost, additional control, and an abort capability for the crewed variant.
After receiving a significant NASA contract not long ago, Dream Chaser will provide a minimum of seven cargo service missions to and from the space station. This comes in addition to even more ambitious crewed launches expected to happen around 2025. All of which depends on the spacecraft’s upcoming launch not far away. Here I will go more in-depth into Dream Chaser’s progress, its propulsion system, what to expect in the future, and more.
New Updates
As Dream Chaser’s first launch gets even closer, more updates have been released by Sierra Space about the spacecraft and some of its vital components. Just yesterday the company tweeted saying, “Our VR35K-A upper stage VORTEX engine, developed in conjunction with the @AFResearchLab, provides 35,000 lbf thrust and high specific impulse using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for increased launch capability.” This included an image of the engine setup within the test stand at the company’s facility.
Dream Chaser is a spaceplane designed for high reusability, with the goal of reducing overall cost, and providing quick turnarounds between missions. One of this spacecraft’s key parts is its engines. On-orbit propulsion of Dream Chaser was originally proposed to be provided by twin hybrid rocket engines capable of repeated starts and throttling. At the time, Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems was also developing a similar hybrid rocket for Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. However, in May 2014, SNC involvement in the SpaceShipTwo program ended. After the acquisition of Orbitec LLC in July 2014, Sierra Nevada Corporation announced a major change to the propulsion system. The hybrid rocket engine design was dropped in favor of a cluster of Orbitec’s Vortex engines.
The Vortex engine is a collaboration between SNC and the U. S. Air Force and is designed to use green fuels that can ignite at a high altitude. Since the engine is built with low-cost and lightweight materials, the company believes that Vortex may save tens of millions of dollars for each launch. This being said, it’s important to point out that like the Dream Chaser spaceplane itself, these engines have never actually flown. Over the past few months we have been provided additional updates on the propulsion system and some of the tests it has completed.
Based on different animations and reports from Sierra Space, Dream Chaser will utilize two of these engines at the back of the spacecraft. They will provide thrust after separation from the upper stage rocket, control within low Earth orbit, and a possible abort capability for future crewed missions. As partially mentioned prior, under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract, Dream Chaser will provide a minimum of seven cargo service missions to and from the space station. Dream Chaser was originally designed as a crewed spaceplane, in part under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, capable of carrying up to seven astronauts to and from the space station and other low Earth orbit (LEO) destinations. Before these crewed missions can happen, multiple uncrewed launches need to be successful first. As for size Dream Chaser is 30 feet, or 9 meters long—roughly ¼ the total length of the space shuttle orbiters.
It’s also important to point out the multiple Dream Chaser test articles currently in production. The main test article in named Tenacity which has the most progress completed and is going to be the first one launched. However, Sierra Space revealed a second test article not long ago. Back on August 30th they tweeted highlighting, “And then there were two…” This included an image of a brand new Dream Chaser test article beginning various work. By now a few months later it has most definitely made some significant progress toward becoming space ready.
Launch & Overview
Now that we know more about Dream Chaser’s engines and some of the progress Sierra Space has made, we can take a closer look at the rocket’s upcoming launch, the spacecraft itself, and more. As of right now, the first Dream Chaser test article named Tenacity is still scheduled to lift off in the third quarter of 2023 on top of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur. This is an uncrewed mission to the ISS with supplies that will also mark a major milestone for the company. Due to the fact that there is no crew, Dream Chaser Tenacity will launch within Vulcan’s fairings with its wings folded in. In the distant future on crewed missions, Dream Chaser will launch without a fairing to facilitate an abort capability if something were to go wrong during the launch.
As for ULA’s progress, Vulcan’s maiden flight is set to happen in only a few months. This is quite significant in regard to Dream Chaser because the results of this initial mission will have a direct effect on the spaceplane. Currently, both BE-4 engines from Blue Origin have been installed and now the launch vehicle is only days away from being transported to the launch site. Once at the Cape, Vulcan will undergo a final series of tests to verify its readiness for flight consisting of multiple tanking tests and a wet dress rehearsal, culminating in flight readiness firing later this month, which will be the final step prior to launch. Following the successful final testing, Astrobotic and the other payloads will be installed on the launch vehicle.
Overall it has been a very long journey for Dream Chaser which was publicly announced on September 20, 2004. For almost two decades work has been made on this spaceplane hoping to change the way we access space. On the upcoming mission, it will carry 5,500 kg of critical supplies such as food, water, and science experiments to astronauts aboard the ISS. It then departs with waste from the ISS, which burns up upon re-entry into the atmosphere in the Shooting Star transport vehicle. Dream Chaser then returns to Earth with a gentle runway landing after which it is prepared for its next mission. Shooting Star adds a service for NASA to send additional critical science, food, and cargo to the space station. Crews can access the Shooting Star via the aft hatch, berthing to the space station. Traveling through the Shooting Star takes them to the forward portion where they can open the hatch and gain access to the Dream Chaser. When attached to the space station, Shooting Star provides a normal cabin environment for astronauts to work, and a prime location for cargo to be removed and placed onto the station after berthing. Due to the fact that Shooting Star is disposed of on each mission, Sierra Space Corporation will maintain a production line to support all subsequent Dream Chaser missions.
The company highlights that the Dream Chaser spaceplane is a multi-mission vehicle capable of supporting a variety of LEO needs. It can be customized for both domestic and international customers via vehicle configuration, launch site, destination, landing site, duration, and a host of other variables. For example, Sierra Space has entered into agreements with multiple international space agencies. Together they are developing technologies, applications, and missions for Dream Chaser-based space systems. In other words, because Dream Chaser can use a variety of launch vehicles and landing sites around the world for each mission, it has a lot more options than your typical spacecraft.
Earlier this year Sierra Space announced the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding that added the world-class New Mexico spaceport to the company’s portfolio of potential global landing sites. Spaceport America, located in southern New Mexico, is the most recent addition to a growing list of compatible runways worldwide where the Dream Chaser could land, including the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and airports and landing sites in Huntsville, Alabama, Oita Airport, Japan, and Spaceport Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The new MOU outlines the two organizations’ mutual pursuit to increase Spaceport America’s capabilities and demand for Dream Chaser reentry at the spaceport. As a result, in line with their shared vision, both parties will pursue a Part 433 reentry site operator’s license for Spaceport America from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Conclusion
Sierra Space has its hands full with the first launch of Dream Chaser right around the corner. Between propulsion progress, two different test articles, mission prep, and more, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. However, the company is working hard and confident this spacecraft will change the way we access space. We will have to wait and see how it progresses and the impact it has on the space industry.