Dream Chaser Spacecraft Removed from Lineup for ULA’s Second Vulcan Launch

Due to unexpected delays in its schedule, Sierra Space’s advanced Dream Chaser spaceplane will no longer be part of the payload for the upcoming second flight of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. Instead, a non-operational payload will be deployed in its stead, the aerospace company announced this past Wednesday.

Sierra Space communicated to ULA that achieving the targeted September launch window posed a “significant risk,” leading to the decision to withdraw in order for ULA to continue its certification process with the Department of Defense, according to ULA CEO Tory Bruno at a press briefing. This forthcoming Vulcan Centaur launch is critical for ULA, as it represents the concluding phase needed before the rocket is qualified to perform national defense missions on behalf of the Department of Defense (DOD), following the initial Vulcan mission conducted earlier this year.

Furthermore, the upcoming launch will also feature various “experiments and demonstrations” alongside the inert payload, details of which were not fully disclosed by Bruno at the media event.

Looking ahead, ULA has plans to execute at least two additional Vulcan missions by year’s end. These missions, identified as USSF-106 and USSF-87, constitute the commencement of a slew of delayed launches that ULA is slated to perform for the DOD.

Sierra Space shared in a separate announcement that despite the schedule modification, the premiere voyage of its Dream Chaser spaceplane, dubbed Tenacity, remains scheduled before year’s end. Tenacity, coupled with its Shooting Star cargo module, successfully concluded environmental testing in early May—a series of evaluations ensuring the craft’s durability during launch and in orbit. Following these tests, the spacecraft was transmitted to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in late May to undergo final preparations ahead of its launch.

Distinguished by its capability to execute a horizontal landing on a runway akin to the erstwhile space shuttle by NASA, the 30-foot Dream Chaser is engineered for carrying out cargo missions to the International Space Station for NASA. Its development, however, has been subject to significant delays. Sierra Space secured NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract in 2016, with initial service deliveries originally planned for late 2019.

On its inaugural mission, set to be the first of seven under the CRS-2 agreement, the Dream Chaser is tasked with transporting 7,800 pounds of supplies to the ISS. It is expected to remain docked at the station for a period of 45 days prior to its return to Florida for examination, refurbishment, and subsequent reuse.

Further expanding its vision, Sierra is also in the developmental stages of crafting a manned variant of the Dream Chaser and an inflatable habitat module poised to function as a private, low Earth orbit space station. To date, the organization has secured funding amounting to $1.7 billion to advance its expansive array of space initiatives.