A commercial spaceplane capable of orbital flight is ready for NASA testing

NASA will soon begin testing what is being called the world’s first commercial spaceplane capable of orbital flight, which will eventually be used to resupply the International Space Station. The agency is Set to receive Sierra Space’s first Dream Chaser vehicle, which is supposed to provide an alternative to SpaceX’s spacecraft for trips to the International Space Station.

In the coming weeks, the spaceplane (currently located at Sierra Space’s facility in Colorado) will make its way to NASA’s test site in Ohio. The agency will put the car, called Tenacity, through its steps for a period ranging from one to three months. according to ars technica, NASA will conduct vibration, sound and temperature tests to ensure Tenacity can withstand the rigors of a rocket launch. NASA engineers, along with government and contractor teams, are conducting tests to ensure Tenacity’s approach to the International Space Station is safe.

All is going well, and Tenacity is scheduled to make its maiden voyage into space in April aboard the second flight of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. The missile has not yet made its first test flight, which is expected to take place in December. However, given how things are going in spaceflight, delay is always a possibility on both fronts.

The spaceplane has foldable wings, allowing it to fit inside a rocket’s payload. For its first mission, Tenacity is scheduled to remain on the International Space Station for 45 days. It will then return to Earth at the former space shuttle landing pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida instead of landing in the ocean as many spacecraft do. Sierra says the spacecraft is capable of landing on any compatible commercial runway.

“Drowning in the ocean is terrible,” said Tom Weiss, CEO of Sierra Space. Ars Technica. “Landing on the runway is really cool.” The company claims the Dream Chaser can return cargo to Earth in less than 1.5 gigs, which is important to help protect sensitive payloads. The spaceplane will be able to carry up to 12,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station and return up to about 4,000 pounds of cargo to Terra Firma. Sierra plans for its Dream Chaser fleet to eventually be able to transport humans to low Earth orbit as well.

As it stands, SpaceX is the only company operating fully certified spacecraft for NASA missions. Boeing also won a contract to develop a capsule for NASA in 2014, but the Starliner has yet to transport any astronauts to the International Space Station. Sierra Nevada (from which Sierra Space spun off in 2021) previously competed with those companies for NASA Commercial Crew Program contracts, but lost. However, after the company retooled the Dream Chaser to focus on cargo operations for the time being, NASA selected Sierra to join the group of cargo transportation providers in 2016.

The Dream Chaser’s first flight to the International Space Station has been a long time coming. It was originally scheduled to be implemented in 2019, but the project has been subject to delays. COVID-19 has exacerbated these matters, constricting supply chains for key parts Sierra Space needs before the company brings more of its construction work in-house. The company is now aiming to have a second human-rated version of the Dream Chaser ready for the 2026 time frame.

NASA has long been interested in using spaceplanes, dating back to the agency’s early days, and appears to be closer than ever to being able to use such vehicles. Virgin Galactic (which only done (its fifth commercial flight on Thursday) uses spaceplanes for tourist and research flights, and its vehicle is only capable of suborbital operations. With Dream Chaser, Sierra has loftier goals.