Tag: CCDev
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Dream Chaser flies through another CCiCAP milestone
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) successfully completed another key milestone for their Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) contract with NASA this week. Known as Milestone 7, the Certification Plan Review for the entire Dream Chaser Space System (DCSS) covered the vehicle’s full design certification and outlined how SNC would operate its first crewed flight to the…
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Dream Chaser receives CCDev-2 green light from NASA
As had been expected, Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) spacecraft successfully passed the final NASA Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev-2) milestone requirement, despite her tumble at the end of what was an impressive debut free flight in October. Dream Chaser Progress: One of the three main contenders to regain American independence…
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Dream Chaser ETA review promotes positives despite anomaly
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) may have successfully passed the key milestones of her approach-and-landing free-flight test on Saturday, despite taking a tumble on Edwards Air Force Base’s Runway 22L. Prior to the failure to deploy the left landing gear, the ETA enjoyed a flawless debut flight. Dream Chaser ETA Test Day…
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Dream Chaser suffers landing gear failure after first flight
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) conducted her maiden flight at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Saturday. However, the Commercial Crew prospect – after enjoying a perfect flight in the air – suffered a mechanical failure during landing, resulting in her flipping over on the runway. Dream Chaser: As announced in…
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SpaceX progress on Dragon abort test and Raptor engine
SpaceX provided another glimpse into their future ambitions by announcing they have completed a review of their 2014 abort test for their commercial crew program. The company also announced they would begin testing of their new Raptor engine – a key element of their Mars mission architecture – early next year at NASA’s Stennis Space…
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Dream Chaser preparing for drop test milestone
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) is just days away from its first free flight milestone. The NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) candidate is now in final preparations for its drop test that will result in her conducting an automated approach and landing at the Dryden Flight Research Center in California. Dream…
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McAlister Discusses Commercial Crew Certification
In a recent presentation to the human exploration and operations committee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), Phil McAlister, Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Development discussed the next steps that will be necessary for commercial crew providers to be certified to begin transportation of commercial crew to the International Space Station in 2017. Optional Milestones…
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NASA’s Commercial Crew Catch 22 as another $424m heads to Russia
NASA administrator Charlie Bolden emphasized the need for Congress to fully support funding for the Agency’s Commercial Crew Program, after signing a $424m extension for the use of Russian Soyuz vehicles to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. The deal, which reaches through to June 2017, is likely to receive further extensions. Domestic…
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USCV-1: NASA planners slip first ISS commercial crew mission to late 2017
The first NASA crew to ride to the International Space Station on a commercial spacecraft may have to wait until at least the end of 2017, after NASA’s planning group realigned the US Crew Vehicle -1 (USCV-1) mission to a launch date of November 30, 2017. The new schedule includes the Russian Soyuz manifested as…
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SpaceX Crewed Dragon: Pressing home the advantage
With all three Commercial Crew partners providing a status update at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) this week, SpaceX have outlined their path towards launching a crew on their Dragon spacecraft in 2015. With the advantage of already flying cargo missions on a near-human rated Dragon, SpaceX are leading the drive to return domestic crew…