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I just saw an article linked from AIAA's "Daily Launch". Sierra Space has pushed back the launch date for its first Dreamchaser from late this year to May '25. No reason given. They have a second Dreamchaser under construction. And they are building and ground-testing big inflatable modules, to include hypervelocity gas gun tests for meteor impact effects.
The layers of material for the inflatable are thick, to provide insulation and meteor protection, plus they are said to provide good radiation protection. These modules have a core with walls and decks folded inside, very much like what I presumed for the habitat modules of my orbit-to-orbit transport concept in my 2016 version of a clean-sheet-of-paper Mars mission plan.
Bigelow may be gone, but inflatables are about to be here. Looks quite promising.
GW
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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Sierra Nevada is led by a couple who appear to have come to the US from Turkey...
My interest in the company is their decision to pick up the mantle from Bigelow Aerospace, for manufacture of inflatable habitats, as described in Post #6 (GW Johnson).
GW Johnson is developing a design for a deep space human transport that I am gradually coming to recognize as superior to other proposals that are in play in early 2025. GW's design would consist of a (carefully arranged) stack of habitats.
Here is a bit of biographical information about the leadership at Sierra Nevada:
More information about the company and it's leadership would be welcome.
(th)
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This post is inspired by PhotonBytes and reports on space planes ... It is time for another update on Dream Chaser...
The good news is that despite delays, Dream Chaser appears to be inching forward. It has even more stringent requirements for software and system performance than previously, due to the failure of the Boeing space capsule.
Per Google's Gemini:
Conversation with Gemini
Dream Chaser Status question - Hello Again! Thank you for your help with numerous previous requests! The idea of a space plane able to carry passengers is of great current interest. Only one company is (apparently) working on such a vehicle, and it has still not launched despite years of effort. Please see what you can find about the current status of Dream Chaser, and what accounts for the delay.***
Current Status of Dream Chaser
Sierra Space's Dream Chaser, a reusable lifting-body spaceplane, is still undergoing final preparations for its first orbital flight. The first vehicle, named "Tenacity," is slated for an uncrewed cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract. The launch is now projected for late 2025 or early 2026.Despite the delays, the program has been making progress. In early 2025, Dream Chaser successfully passed a key NASA test, Joint Test 10B, which demonstrated its ability to power on and exchange data with powered payloads inside its cabin. This is a critical step towards certifying the vehicle for its cargo missions. The spaceplane is currently at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it is undergoing final integration and testing.
Reasons for the Delays
The Dream Chaser program has faced numerous delays over the years, a common occurrence in complex aerospace projects. The reasons for these setbacks are multi-faceted and include a combination of technical challenges, external factors, and program-level decisions.Launch Vehicle Delays: The most significant recent delay has been tied to the readiness of its launch vehicle, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket. The Dream Chaser's first flight is designated as the second flight for the Vulcan rocket, which itself has faced its own development and schedule challenges. While Vulcan has now successfully launched, its flight schedule remains a factor for Dream Chaser.
Technical and Certification Challenges: Dream Chaser's design incorporates new and complex systems that require extensive testing and certification. This includes its:
Propulsion System: The vehicle uses a non-toxic "green" propulsion system, which requires rigorous testing and certification from the ground up to ensure safety and reliability.
Thermal Protection System (TPS): The spaceplane's thermal tiles and a new composite material called TUFROC are crucial for re-entry and have required careful refinement and testing.
Software Integration: Following the technical issues experienced by Boeing's Starliner program, NASA has enforced more comprehensive and stringent flight software testing requirements. This has likely added time to Dream Chaser's development as it accommodates these additional safety checks.
Programmatic and Financial Factors: The program's history includes a shift from a crewed to a cargo focus after it was not selected for NASA's Commercial Crew Program in 2014. More recently, there have been reports of financial pressures on Sierra Space (the company behind Dream Chaser), which have been cited as a reason for some of the delays and a slowdown in the production of the second vehicle.
In short, the wait for Dream Chaser is a culmination of a long and complex development cycle, technical hurdles, and the interconnectedness of launch schedules with other vehicles like ULA's Vulcan. The company and NASA continue to work towards its inaugural flight, but the focus remains on safety and thoroughness rather than an expedited timeline.
***
Thank you for this helpful summary. I will post it in a small international forum that follows space developments.
***No problem at all! I'm glad I could provide a helpful summary for your forum. If you have any more questions in the future, please feel free to ask.
(th)
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The good news is
TBD 2025 Vulcan Centaur • Dream Chaser 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its second demonstration flight with Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser cargo vehicle for the International Space Station. The Dream Chaser is a lifting body resupply spacecraft that will launch on top of a rocket and land on a runway. This will be the Dream Chaser’s first flight to space. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC4L configuration with four GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a long-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from August 2022, December 2023, January 2024, April 2024 and September 2024.Updated: May 05
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