{"id":19486,"date":"2016-01-27T01:44:39","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T17:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasas-backing-fuels-more-interest-in-sncs-dream-chaser-mini-space-shuttle\/"},"modified":"2016-01-27T01:44:39","modified_gmt":"2016-01-26T17:44:39","slug":"nasas-backing-fuels-more-interest-in-sncs-dream-chaser-mini-space-shuttle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasas-backing-fuels-more-interest-in-sncs-dream-chaser-mini-space-shuttle\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s backing fuels more interest in SNC\u2019s Dream Chaser mini-space shuttle"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_225074\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-225074\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-225074\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160125-dreamchaser-630x336.jpg\" alt=\"Image: Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser\" width=\"630\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160125-dreamchaser-630x336.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160125-dreamchaser-768x410.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160125-dreamchaser-1240x661.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-225074\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Technicians at an SNC facility in Colorado inspect the Dream Chaser engineering test article, or ETA, which is being put through flight tests. (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>NASA\u2019s decision to use Sierra Nevada Corporation\u2019s Dream Chaser mini-shuttle to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station marks the most positive development to date for a space program that\u2019s been a decade in the making. But the head of that program says it\u2019s only the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re getting more interest in the last couple of weeks than we\u2019ve had before,\u201d Mark Sirangelo, SNC\u2019s corporate vice president of space systems, told GeekWire on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The privately held Nevada-based company mostly flies under the radar, even though it\u2019s a significant military contractor. But thanks to&nbsp;the cargo contract announced this month, SNC\u2019s Colorado-based space systems operation is likely to get a brighter spotlight \u2013 as well as additional work for the Dream Chaser.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"SNC's Dream Chaser\u00ae Cargo System: A Transportation System to Deliver Cargo to the ISS for NASA\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eHvBUqfWDRs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The vehicle takes advantage of lifting-body designs that go back to the 1980s and 1990s. SNC\u2019s 21st-century&nbsp;version looks like a scaled-down version of NASA\u2019s space shuttle, with a wingspan of 23 feet. In comparison, the shuttle\u2019s wingspan is 78 feet.<\/p>\n<p>The Dream Chaser is designed to be launched atop an Atlas 5 rocket, with its wings in a folded-up configuration for orbital deployment. The cargo version will be equipped with an unpressurized \u201ctrunk\u201d in the back. The spaceship should be capable of carrying&nbsp;more than 5 tons of cargo to the space station. It\u2019s also expected to deliver payloads from orbit to NASA in just a few hours, touching down with a smooth runway landing.<\/p>\n<p>That quick and gentle delivery method is one reason why the Dream Chaser is due to be added to NASA\u2019s cargo fleet of SpaceX and Orbital ATK space vehicles, starting in late 2019. The space station program\u2019s chief scientist, Julie Robinson, said that feature is attractive for handling biological samples from space&nbsp;\u2013 potentially including live experimental animals.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"icon-quotes-left\"><\/span>&nbsp;It would be effectively like we\u2019re an airline. We own the Dream Chasers.<span class=\"icon-quotes-right\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The financial terms have yet to be nailed down,&nbsp;but in his interviews, Sirangelo says there\u2019s&nbsp;a general sense that a contract for at least six spaceflights should be worth at least a billion dollars, if not more.<\/p>\n<p>Sirangelo said two Dream Chaser space planes will be built for NASA\u2019s use&nbsp;\u2013 and maybe not just for NASA.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be effectively like we\u2019re an airline,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe own the Dream Chasers. NASA is our priority client, so they would get priority use of the vehicle. However, when they\u2019re not using them, and as long as it doesn\u2019t interfere, we have the capability of using the same vehicles for other clients.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those&nbsp;clients could include other space agencies that want to pursue their own orbital research programs, with or without access to the space station. And the Dream Chaser\u2019s basic design can be adapted&nbsp;to accommodate a crew rather than cargo. A couple of years ago, SNC proposed the Dream Chaser as a crew vehicle for NASA\u2019s use, but lost out to SpaceX and the Boeing Co. in the contract competition.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_223048\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-223048\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-223048\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160114-dream5-630x515.jpg\" alt=\"Dream Chaser with cargo module\" width=\"630\" height=\"515\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160114-dream5-630x515.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160114-dream5-768x628.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160114-dream5-1240x1014.jpg 1240w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160114-dream5.jpg 1460w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-223048\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s conception shows Sierra Nevada Corporation\u2019s uncrewed version of the Dream Chaser space glider in orbit with a cargo module attached at the back. (Credit: SNC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For now, SNC is focusing on the cargo-only version, but Sirangelo said customers will eventually be able to choose from a wide range of Dream Chaser options.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very similar to how an aircraft manufacturer like Boeing or Airbus plans their vehicles,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have a core vehicle built for the 747 or the Airbus 330 or 320. And they can have different missions for the same airframe. It could be a passenger vehicle, it could be cargo, it could be a military variant, it could be for firefighting or some type of scientific research. We\u2019ve approached it the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those are the sorts of opportunities that SNC hopes to pursue in the future, and those are the sorts of inquiries that Sirangelo may well&nbsp;be getting \u2013&nbsp;although he declined to provide details during this week\u2019s interview.<\/p>\n<p>The bottom line is that after 10 years of development, NASA\u2019s contract announcement finally provided the critical mass to turn the Dream Chaser into a reality.&nbsp;\u201cPeople now see that the vehicle will be built,\u201d Sirangelo said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_225293\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-225293\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-225293\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160126-orbital-630x504.jpg\" alt=\"Dream Chaser orbital cabin\" width=\"630\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160126-orbital-630x504.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160126-orbital-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160126-orbital-1240x992.jpg 1240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-225293\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cabin assembly for the orbital Dream Chaser space plane takes shape at Lockheed Martin. (Credit: Lockheed Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So what now? Later this year, a Dream Chaser prototype will be put through its second aerodynamic test glide through the atmosphere&nbsp;\u2013 analogous to the tests that were done in the late 1970s using the space shuttle prototype known as the Enterprise.<\/p>\n<p>For the upcoming test, the prototype will be dropped from a helicopter, Sirangelo said. After that, the atmospheric tests will be conducted at higher altitudes, using a carrier system that has yet to be identified.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, SNC is working with one of its lead industrial partners, Lockheed Martin, to build the structures for its space-capable Dream Chasers. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency has signaled that it will go ahead with a $36 million investment in Dream Chaser construction.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, SNC expects to be ready to send its first flight into orbit, taking advantage of an Atlas 5 rocket reservation it made with United Launch Alliance&nbsp;two&nbsp;years ago.<\/p>\n<p>2019 really isn\u2019t all that far away, based on what it takes to get a new spaceship working. But Sirangelo is confident that SNC and its \u201cDream Team\u201d of more than 60 partners can meet the schedule. \u201cI\u2019m fortunate to be leading what I believe is the best team in the space industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><em>This report has been corrected to reflect the fact that that Sierra Nevada Corporation&nbsp;is headquartered&nbsp;in Sparks, Nev.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Technicians at an SNC facility in Colorado inspect the Dream Chaser engineering test article, or ETA, which is being put through flight tests. (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation) NASA\u2019s decision to use Sierra Nevada Corporation\u2019s Dream Chaser mini-shuttle to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station marks the most positive development to date for [&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":[291,970,190,4703],"class_list":["post-19486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-commercial-space","tag-dream-chaser","tag-nasa","tag-sierra-nevada-corp"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19486"}],"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=19486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19486\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}