They call it the Dream Chaser, and according to its maker, Sierra Space, the machine is not only America’s but the world’s first true spaceliner. The spaceplane builds on the legacy of the Space Shuttle and features a lifting body design that dates back to the 1960s. It will put a new spin on reusability, taking cargo up to various orbits and then landing like regular aircraft do.
The spacecraft is 30-foot long and 15-foot wide and can carry up to 11,500 pounds of cargo. The cargo won’t be carried in a single space but rather divided between the spaceplane’s own payload bays and an attached cargo module called the Shooting Star.
For its first mission to the ISS, the spaceplane will carry about half that weight, or 7,800 pounds, all inside the Shooting Star. This mission will also serve as the first true test of the spaceship’s systems and a means to prove that the concept works.
The spacecraft is currently in its final testing and launch preparations phase at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ship has been on location since May, where it is being prepared for its maiden voyage.
Sierra Space and NASA are working hard to make this happen, with three main objectives: final assembly and system checks, environmental testing, and pre-launch processing. This includes fitting the spaceplane with the rest of the thermal protection system, performing propulsion system closeout and leak testing, subjecting it to electromagnetic interference and loud sounds, and testing the differential braking system.
Once the cargo Dream Chaser is up and running, Sierra Space plans to reprocess the spacecraft onsite in Florida. This will include moving the spaceplane from the runway to the Space Prep facility, where it can be inspected, unloaded, and prepped to fly again.
If all goes well with the cargo Dream Chaser, we might later see a version capable of carrying astronauts. Until then, the spacecraft will have to complete seven missions to the ISS, as per its contract with NASA.
Source: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/world-s-first-true-spaceliner-inching-closer-to-launch-iss-is-its-first-target-238065.html