With the successful glide test completed last weekend, Dream Chaser spacecraft is inching closer to its goal of delivering cargo to the International Space Station. The reusable Dream Chaser is a cheaper and smaller version of the retired Nasa’s space shuttle orbiter.
On November 11, Sierra Nevada Corp.’s (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft’s successfully completed its free-flight test at Nasa’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. The glide test showed that the spacecraft meets the expected models for a trip to the ISS. Since January, Dream Chaser has been undergoing several tests in preparation for the free-flight test.
A Columbia Helicopter Model 234-UT lifted the full-scale, unmanned Dream Chaser before its release and completion of a pre-planned flight path that concluded with a landing on Runway 22L of the Edwards Air Force Base in California. During the spacecraft’s final approach and landing phase, Dream Chaser was able to fly through the same flight path used when returning from orbit.
“The Dream Chaser flight test demonstrated excellent performance of the spacecraft’s aerodynamic design and the data shows that we are firmly on the path for safe, reliable orbital flight,” said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice- president of SNC’s Space System business area.
The atmospheric flight performance of Dream Chaser showed the advancement of the programme that created the spacecraft, which allows them to inch closer towards the achievement of their final milestone for the Nasa CCiCap agreement.
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