Sierra Area is getting one step nearer to lastly seeing its Dream Chaser spaceplane attain the launch pad. The spacecraft accomplished its environmental testing at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Check Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, final week.
The take a look at marketing campaign started again in January, when the automobile arrived on the heart to endure shock and vibration testing in February, which lasted about 5 weeks.
That was adopted by thermal vacuum testing, the place the spaceplane named “Tenacity” and its Capturing Star cargo extension went via greater than a month of being uncovered to a variety of temperatures, starting from -150°F to 250°F.
“Profitable completion of an extremely rigorous environmental testing marketing campaign in shut partnership with NASA is a big milestone and places Dream Chaser on monitor for operations later this yr,” stated Sierra Area CEO, Tom Vice, in an announcement. “That is the yr that we transition from rigorous analysis and improvement to common orbital operations and – in doing so – rework the best way we join area and Earth.”
With this marketing campaign behind them, Sierra Area is now making ready to load up Dream Chaser and Capturing Star for cargo right down to NASA’s Kennedy Area Middle. As soon as it arrives on the Area Programs Processing Facility (SSPF), groups will end including the thermal safety tiles and carry out further checkouts, like acoustic testing.
Sierra Area has been working in direction of this purpose for a while. It pivoted from a crewed model of the automobile to the cargo variant when it was chosen as a part of NASA’s $14 billion indefinite supply indefinite amount (IDIQ) agency mounted worth Business Resupply Companies 2 (CRS-2) contract in 2016. SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, the 2 corporations chosen for the unique CRS contract, have been additionally a part of this deal.
In March 2022, NASA ordered 12 further missions from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, six apiece, which shall be carried out via 2026. That introduced up the overall variety of missions ordered beneath CRS-2 to the next:
- 14 – Northrop Grumman
- 3 – Sierra Area (initially the Sierra Nevada Company)
- 15 – SpaceX
Vulcan Cert-2
The spaceplane is about to be the payload for United Launch Alliance’s second certification mission for its Vulcan rocket. It will likely be the primary of seven contracted missions utilizing the rocket.
If all goes to plan with Dream Chaser, the launch should work round numerous gadgets on the ISS calendar, together with 4 missions set to launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. Crew-9 is about to raise off within the August timeframe to alleviate the Crew-8 quartet and NASA is no sooner than October for the fourth non-public astronaut mission by way of Axiom Area.
There are additionally the launches of SpaceX’s thirty first (SpX-31) and Northrop Grumman’s twenty first (NG-21) cargo missions beneath the CRS-2 contract, that are anticipated within the again half of 2024 as effectively.
Whereas ULA is planning on Tenacity being the second payload for Vulcan, that would change, if there are points that come up within the subsequent spherical of testing. In a social media put up, ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno said that “now we have a backup if they’ve a problem,” however in any other case are anticipating a launch someday this fall.
Within the Fall, as quickly as Dream Chaser is prepared. And, sure, now we have a backup if they’ve a problem.
— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) May 7, 2024
A protection official who spoke with Space News stated that utilizing a mass simulator might be a probably viable various for ULA, if Dream Chaser doesn’t meet its present launch objectives for this fall.
This information comes on the heels of a letter despatched Friday to the heads of each Lockheed Martin and Boeing from Air Power Assistant Secretary Frank Calvelli. The Washington Put up broke the story.
The letter said Calvelli was “involved” concerning the timeline for Vulcan’s improvement and “ULA’s means to scale manufacturing of its Vulcan rocket and scale its launch cadence to satisfy our wants.”
In an interview with Spaceflight Now in January, Bruno stated the corporate was making good progress in direction of the deliberate launch fee of 25 rockets per yr, or a couple of launch each two weeks, by “the again half of 2025.” He famous the completion of ULA’s completed items warehouse close to their important manufacturing unit in Decatur, Alabama, and teased the arrival of a second barge to move rocket parts (formally unveiled final week).
Bruno stated that a few of their suppliers, like L3Harris, which provides the avionics, and Northrop Grumman, which manufactures the strong rocket motors, have been each increasing their manufacturing traces with a view to ramp up functionality.
He stated in that interview, and once more throughout a March press convention, that Blue Origin’s manufacturing unit area in Huntsville, Alabama, was additionally doubled to extend output of their BE-4 engines, which energy the booster stage of Vulcan. Bruno stated as a result of Blue Origin was behind their different suppliers in regard to improvement, ULA couldn’t totally transfer into their full “work forward” mannequin to achieve a fee of launching each two weeks till the again half of 2025.
“We’re probably not going to be on the construct forward plan this yr and the entrance a part of subsequent yr with Blue Origin till they then actually hit their stride they usually hit the manufacturing fee we’re searching for,” Bruno stated in March. “After which, they’ll catch again up they usually’ll construct up a list, like everyone else.”
In his written remarks submitted to the Home Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Calvelli emphasised the significance of finishing Cert-2 as the important thing occasion that opens as much as nationwide safety missions. ULA was awarded 60 % of all of the Nationwide Safety Area Launch (NSSL) Section 2 missions, which quantities to a price of $3.12 billion, in line with the U.S. Area Programs Command (SSC).
“Failure to finish the second certification flight will delay the launch of vital nationwide safety payloads this yr, together with GPS III-7, USSF-106, and USSF-87,” Calvelli wrote. “In parallel, Blue Origin must scale its manufacturing of BE-4 engines. We’re maintaining a tally of whether or not these two corporations can scale to satisfy our wants.”
Based on SSC, USSF-106, which is described as a “multi-manifest mission,” is about to be the primary NSSL mission for Vulcan. It’ll carry the Navigation Expertise Satellite tv for pc-3 payload and one other undisclosed U.S. Area Power payload.
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