US space plane revealed before first flight

The reusable Dream Chaser spaceplane with a cargo capacity of 5,215 kg is being unveiled ahead of its first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) later this year.

The Dream Chaser spaceplane at the Neil Armstrong test facility. Photo: Josh Dinner/Space.com — The Dream Chaser spaceplane at the Neil Armstrong test facility. Photo: *Josh Dinner/Space.com*

On February 1, NASA and the Colorado-based company Sierra Space invited reporters to take a close look at Dream Chaser, according to Space .

The event took place at NASA's Neil Armstrong Flight Test Facility in Sandusky. The Dream Chaser drone and its cargo module, nicknamed "Tenacity" and "Shooting Star" respectively, were positioned vertically as they would be at launch. The pair of vehicles stood 55 feet tall, about the length of a school bus.

Tenacity’s highly anticipated launch flight will carry cargo to the ISS for NASA. That unmanned mission will help advance science in space and further stimulate the economy in low Earth orbit. But before the launch, Tenacity and Shooting Star will have to complete a variety of tests in Sandusky. The spaceplane will demonstrate how well it performs at NASA’s Mechanical Vibration Facility. These tests will expose the vehicles to the harsh environments they will encounter on a mission.

Sierra Space received a multi-year contract from NASA under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS2) program in 2016 to provide at least six cargo missions to the ISS. According to NASA, this is part of an effort to increase commercial resupply options in low Earth orbit.

As its name suggests, Shooting Star will burn up in the atmosphere after its single mission. Tenacity will land and prepare for its next mission. In fact, the spaceplane is designed to fly up to 15 missions. Tenacity will carry more than 3,540 kg of cargo on its first flight, although it can carry up to 5,215 kg of cargo and experimental samples. More than 3,950 kg of trash can be jettisoned from the cargo module during reentry.

Tenacity and Shooting Star are scheduled to launch in the first half of this year from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Space Force Station in Florida. After liftoff, teams at Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser Mission Control Center in Louisville, Colorado, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and Johnson Space Center in Houston will work together to monitor the flight, control the aircraft, and certify the systems.

An Khang (According to Space )

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