Spaceplane can carry 12 tons of cargo into orbit

US company Sierra Space launched its Dream Chaser spacecraft at its assembly facility, revealing the shuttle-like vehicle is ready for its first mission into Earth orbit.

The Dream Chaser spacecraft has a shape similar to the space shuttle. Photo: Sierra Space — The Dream Chaser spacecraft has a shape similar to the space shuttle. Photo: *Sierra Space*

Colorado-based Sierra Space announced on May 31 that it had successfully completed the first launch of its Dream Chaser space plane. During the test, engineers simulated powering up Dream Chaser's systems with electricity generated by solar panels while the space plane was in orbit, according to Yahoo .

“This is a major milestone in the long journey of Dream Chaser,” said Tom Vice, CEO of Sierra Space. “With this major achievement, the Dream Chaser spaceplane is poised to redefine commercial space travel, opening up new opportunities for scientific research, technological advancement, and the economy of space.”

Dream Chaser is a spaceplane designed to fly in low Earth orbit, carrying crew and cargo to destinations such as the International Space Station (ISS). The vehicle is designed to carry 5,443 kg of cargo. Because it cannot fly into space on its own, Dream Chaser needs a large rocket such as ULA's Vulcan Centaur to launch it into low Earth orbit. However, like NASA's Space Shuttle, Dream Chaser can survive re-entry and land on a runway on the ground.

Dream Chaser will be four times shorter than NASA’s space shuttle, with a total length of just over 30 feet. However, the craft will include the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE). This is a self-inflating habitat that can expand to a diameter of 27 feet, or about the size of a three-story building. LIFE’s soft material can deflect small asteroids and other space debris.

Sierra Space is aiming to launch the Dream Chaser’s first flight in late 2023 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight is part of a contract with NASA to carry cargo to the ISS. The company also plans to launch a crewed mission to its own space station, Orbital Reef, in partnership with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. It is preparing to ship the Dream Chaser, named Tenacity, to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio for pre-flight testing.

An Khang (According to Yahoo )

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