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The Dream Chaser, presented here in July 2016 by the Sierra Nevada Corporation in Louisville, passed the latest in a series of NASA's landmark tests, likely paving the way for an inaugural launch in early 2021 ().Jeremy Papasso / Personal Photographer)
Sierra Nevada Corporation announced Thursday that its Dream Chaser spacecraft has successfully completed the last of a series of NASA's landmark tests, likely setting the stage for the aerospace company to launch the first of its unmanned supply missions in the early days. from 2021.
Announced as the successor to NASA's space shuttle, the Louisville-born vehicle will bring supplies, scientific experiments and other merchandise to the unmanned International Space Station on board. After several years of design and development, the project was officially approved by NASA in December.
The latest test, described in a press release as NASA's Integrated Phase 5 Review, included demonstrations of the vehicle's computer and flight software, mission simulator and mission control center. The company has also been tested on its loading capabilities using "high fidelity models of the vehicle and its loading module, showing the loading and unloading time and their efficiency".
In a statement, John Curry, Sierra Nevada CRS-2 Program Director, said, "This milestone is a great achievement for the development and demonstration team, and shows that we can exploit the Dream Chaser from the ground, including integrating out of the vehicle. "
When the spacecraft finally takes off, it is planned to launch it at the top of a rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and use the installation track when it returns.
In 2016, NASA selected Sierra Nevada, SpaceX and Orbital ATK, later acquired by Northrop Grumman, as contractors as part of its Commercial Replenishment 2 program to route supplies to the space station.
The spacecraft is expected to make six flights into orbit to the station as part of its mission.
The latest tests were conducted at the company's facilities in Louisville and NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
"Our Dream Chaser team continues to successfully pass the milestones as we approach the trajectory of this spacecraft," said Fatih Ozmen, owner and CEO of Sierra Nevada Corporation, in a statement. "The orbital spacecraft is under construction and this step shows that the vehicle continues to pass key exams and is making great progress."
Anthony Hahn: 303-473-1422, [email protected] or twitter.com/_anthonyhahn
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