{"id":10115,"date":"2024-05-14T19:17:06","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T11:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/sierra-spaces-dream-chaser-prepares-for-pre-launch-journey-to-the-cape\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T19:17:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T11:17:06","slug":"sierra-spaces-dream-chaser-prepares-for-pre-launch-journey-to-the-cape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/sierra-spaces-dream-chaser-prepares-for-pre-launch-journey-to-the-cape\/","title":{"rendered":"Sierra Space\u2019s Dream Chaser prepares for pre-launch journey to the Cape"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_66181\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66181\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66181\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240513_Sierra_Space_Dream_Chaser_testing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240513_Sierra_Space_Dream_Chaser_testing.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240513_Sierra_Space_Dream_Chaser_testing-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240513_Sierra_Space_Dream_Chaser_testing-678x452.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/20240513_Sierra_Space_Dream_Chaser_testing-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-66181\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Space\u2019s Dream Chaser spaceplane shown inside a test chamber at NASA\u2019s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Image: Sierra Space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sierra Space is getting one step closer to finally seeing its Dream Chaser spaceplane reach the launch pad. The spacecraft completed its environmental testing at NASA\u2019s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, last week.<\/p>\n<p>The test campaign began back in January, when the vehicle arrived at the center to undergo shock and vibration testing in February, which lasted about five weeks.<\/p>\n<p>That was followed by thermal vacuum testing, where the spaceplane named \u201cTenacity\u201d and its Shooting Star cargo extension went through more than a month of being exposed to a range of temperatures, ranging from -150\u00b0F to 250\u00b0F.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuccessful completion of an incredibly rigorous environmental testing campaign in close partnership with NASA is a significant milestone and puts Dream Chaser on track for operations later this year,\u201d said Sierra Space CEO, Tom Vice, in a statement. \u201cThis is the year that we transition from rigorous research and development to regular orbital operations and \u2013 in doing so \u2013 transform the way we connect space and Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spaceplane undergoes key testing at NASA's Armstrong Test Facility\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hbQ-wHT0fTc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>With this campaign behind them, Sierra Space is now preparing to load up Dream Chaser and Shooting Star for shipment down to NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. Once it arrives at the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF), teams will finish adding the thermal protection tiles and perform additional checkouts, like acoustic testing.<\/p>\n<p>Sierra Space has been working towards this goal for some time. It pivoted from a crewed version of the vehicle to the cargo variant when it was chosen as part of NASA\u2019s $14 billion indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) firm fixed price Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract in 2016. SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, the two companies selected for the original CRS contract, were also part of this deal.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2022, NASA ordered 12 additional missions from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, six apiece, which will be conducted through 2026. That brought up the total number of missions ordered under CRS-2 to the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>14 \u2013 Northrop Grumman<\/li>\n<li>3 \u2013 Sierra Space (originally the Sierra Nevada Corporation)<\/li>\n<li>15 \u2013 SpaceX<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Vulcan Cert-2<\/h4>\n<p>The spaceplane is set to be the payload for United Launch Alliance\u2019s second certification mission for its Vulcan rocket. It will be the first of seven contracted missions using the rocket.<\/p>\n<p>If all goes to plan with Dream Chaser, the launch will have to work around a number of items on the ISS calendar, including four missions set to launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. Crew-9 is set to lift off in the August timeframe to relieve the Crew-8 quartet and NASA is looking at no earlier than October for the fourth private astronaut mission via Axiom Space.<\/p>\n<p>There are also the launches of SpaceX\u2019s 31st (SpX-31) and Northrop Grumman\u2019s 21st (NG-21) cargo missions under the CRS-2 contract, which are anticipated in the back half of 2024 as well.<\/p>\n<p>While ULA is planning on Tenacity being the second payload for Vulcan, that could change, if there are issues that come up in the next round of testing. In a social media post, ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno stated that \u201cwe have a backup if they have an issue,\u201d but otherwise are anticipating a launch sometime this fall.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1787917750737727589&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2024%2F05%2F14%2Fsierra-spaces-dream-chaser-preparing-for-pre-launch-journey-to-the-cape%2F&amp;sessionId=c92b201716afecd1b40fc225d6c32922e449a9a2&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782461550204942927=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In the Fall, as soon as Dream Chaser is ready. And, yes, we have a backup if they have an issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tory Bruno (@torybruno) May 7, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A defense official who spoke with Space News said that using a mass simulator could be a potentially viable alternative for ULA, if Dream Chaser doesn\u2019t meet its current launch goals for this fall.<\/p>\n<p>This news comes on the heels of a letter sent Friday to the heads of both Lockheed Martin and Boeing from Air Force Assistant Secretary Frank Calvelli. The Washington Post broke the story.<\/p>\n<p>The letter stated Calvelli was \u201cconcerned\u201d about the timeline for Vulcan\u2019s development and \u201cULA\u2019s ability to scale manufacturing of its Vulcan rocket and scale its launch cadence to meet our needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with Spaceflight Now in January, Bruno said the company was making good progress towards the planned launch rate of 25 rockets per year, or about a launch every two weeks, by \u201cthe back half of 2025.\u201d He noted the completion of ULA\u2019s finished goods warehouse near their main factory in Decatur, Alabama, and teased the arrival of a second barge to transport rocket components (formally unveiled last week).<\/p>\n<p>Bruno said that some of their suppliers, like L3Harris, which supplies the avionics, and Northrop Grumman, which manufactures the solid rocket motors, were both expanding their production lines in order to ramp up capability.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65326\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65326\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65326\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240211_Vulcan_Launch_Remote1_AB_SFN.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240211_Vulcan_Launch_Remote1_AB_SFN.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240211_Vulcan_Launch_Remote1_AB_SFN-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240211_Vulcan_Launch_Remote1_AB_SFN-678x452.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240211_Vulcan_Launch_Remote1_AB_SFN-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65326\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The inaugural Vulcan rocket, powered by two Blue Origin-built BE-4 engines, lifts off from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 8, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He said in that interview, and again during a March press conference, that Blue Origin\u2019s factory space in Huntsville, Alabama, was also doubled to increase output of their BE-4 engines, which power the booster stage of Vulcan. Bruno said because Blue Origin was behind their other suppliers in regard to development, ULA couldn\u2019t fully move into their full \u201cwork ahead\u201d model to reach a rate of launching every two weeks until the back half of 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not really going to be on the build ahead plan this year and the front part of next year with Blue Origin until they then really hit their stride and they hit the production rate we\u2019re looking for,\u201d Bruno said in March. \u201cAnd then, they\u2019ll catch back up and they\u2019ll build up an inventory, like everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his written remarks submitted to the House Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Calvelli emphasized the importance of completing Cert-2 as the key event that opens up to national security missions. ULA was awarded 60 percent of all the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 missions, which amounts to a value of $3.12 billion, according to the U.S. Space Systems Command (SSC).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFailure to complete the second certification flight will delay the launch of critical national security payloads this year, including GPS III-7, USSF-106, and USSF-87,\u201d Calvelli wrote. \u201cIn parallel, Blue Origin needs to scale its production of BE-4 engines. We are keeping an eye on whether these two companies can scale to meet our needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to SSC, USSF-106, which is described as a \u201cmulti-manifest mission,\u201d is set to be the first NSSL mission for Vulcan. It will carry the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 payload and another undisclosed U.S. Space Force payload.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sierra Space\u2019s Dream Chaser spaceplane shown inside a test chamber at NASA\u2019s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Image: Sierra Space Sierra Space is getting one step closer to finally seeing its Dream Chaser spaceplane reach the launch pad. The spacecraft completed its environmental testing at NASA\u2019s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1211,509,970,1017,971,605,1385,363],"class_list":["post-10115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-be-4","tag-blue-origin","tag-dream-chaser","tag-national-security-space-launch","tag-sierra-space","tag-space-systems-command","tag-tenacity","tag-ula"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10115"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10115\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}