Dream Chaser Spaceplane: Self-Flying, Reusable, and Glides to Land
Tenacity, the first of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser fleet, is preparing for a NASA resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Early next year, the crew is scheduled to begin work at the half-million-square-foot spacecraft processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center that will prepare Sierra Space’s uncrewed flights. Dream Chaser Space Plane Before and after launch into orbit.
All Points Logistics, a Merritt Island-based company, announced its partnership with Sierra Space to handle Dream Chaser pre-launch payload integration, checkout operations, launch vehicle integration and other ground services.
All Points hopes to build and open the 150-foot-tall spacecraft complex in 2026 on 60 acres south of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building.
“It is widely known that the current infrastructure at most U.S. spaceports is insufficient to handle the upcoming demand and pace of launches,” said Kevin Brown, senior vice president of business development at All Points Logistics.
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“Spacecraft are changing,” Brown said. “They are smaller and use different technologies that require different types of testing before launch. The infrastructure we are building provides spacecraft owners and operators with a last chance to make sure their spacecraft will work before they launch into space.”
“Once it leaves our facility, it hits the launch pad and goes into space,” he added.
Preparing for the Dream Chaser’s first flight
Final testing and preparations for Dream Chaser’s first flight are ongoing at Kennedy Space Center. The 30-foot-tall cargo spacecraft — named Tenacity — arrived at the Cape in mid-May from NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.
The crew moved Tenacity to an elevated compartment inside NASA’s Space Systems Processing Facility. It could launch early next year aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Station.
The spaceplane will deliver 7,800 pounds of payload to the International Space Station on its maiden flight. After a 45-day stay on the orbiting outpost, the Tenacity spacecraft will touch down on Earth and land like a space shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch and Landing Facility.
In a press release, Sierra Space officials said the future All Points Logistics facility will streamline Dream Chaser return flight preparations “by consolidating ground infrastructure and operations such as fuel readiness and decommissioning, pre- and post-mission payload integration and payload servicing, extensive equipment storage and dedicated control centers into a single complex conveniently located at Kennedy Space Center near the runway and launch pads.”
Brown said his company is in talks with more companies to provide spacecraft processing services. Environmental studies are still underway for the 60-acre campus south of the VAB.
“Every program that comes to the Space Coast to launch brings with it a significant amount of equipment, shipping containers and other materials that need to be stored for a period of time,” Brown said. “This facility will provide that, as well as office space for their launch teams.”
For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neal He is a space correspondent for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at [email protected]. Twitter/X: @Rick Neal1
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