NASA's Dream Chaser Space Plane Is Finally Completed After 18 Years

NASA’s Dream Chaser Space Plane Is Finally Completed after 18 years of development By Zane Clark, 3 days ago Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser spacecraft sits on the runway at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center during ground testing - NASA photo by Ken Ulbrich (Public Domain), via Wikimedia Commons Dream Chaser, the vehicle that has been likened to a miniature version of NASA’s space shuttle, continues to reach major milestones despite its uncertain future. Sierra Space, the company behind the currently uncrewed space plane, is planning for a launch to low Earth orbit in Q4 of 2026. Technical Milestones In response to questions from NASASpaceflight.com, Sierra Space says that everything continues to proceed for the first flight of Tenacity, the company’s cargo vehicle designed to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket. The company has successfully completed key technical milestones in its development, including the finalization of the electrical system build, and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing at Kennedy Space Center. These tests were completed at the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In a press release, the company outlined more of the testing progress of Dream Chaser communications systems, actively testing the telemetry and distribution commands between the spacecraft and the company’s mission control in Louisville, Colorado. This was tested using NASA’s Tracking Data and Relay Satellite System, a set of satellites in orbit around the Earth used for low and medium Earth orbit communications. Program History There have been many questions about the future of Dream Chaser. In 2008, Sierra Nevada Corporation (now Sierra Space) acquired the design and pitched it for NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, securing funding through phases 1 and 2, as well as the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) stage. Despite these early investments, Dream Chaser was ultimately passed over in 2014 when NASA selected SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner for crewed missions to the ISS. Sierra Nevada protested the decision with the U.S. Government Accountability Office but lost the appeal. The vehicle was selected as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS 2) contract, which included SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus, to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). Sierra Space were given seven flights to the ISS, with the first scheduled for 2021 and later postponed multiple times. Contract Amendment and Future Plans However, questions remained with crewed flights to the ISS set to end in 2030 followed shortly thereafter by the deorbiting of what will then be a 30-plus-year-old station. Following a joint evaluation, NASA and Sierra Space mutually agreed to amend the CRS-2 contract removing the requirement of seven guaranteed flights, as well as changing Tenacity‘s first flight to a free-flying orbital test away from the station. When asked about plans for the space vehicle beyond supplying the ISS, the company stated it is looking into other options. The contract modification allows them to explore the spaceplane’s unique capabilities to meet the needs of diverse mission profiles, including emerging and existential threats and national security priorities that align with their acceleration into the Defense Tech market. Testing and Landing Plans The first flight will see the vehicle return for a landing on a runway at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, a variation of the originally discussed landings at the Launch and Landing Facility (LLF), formerly the Shuttle Landing Facility, at KSC. Despite that, much of the ground testing has been going on at the LLF, including tow testing. This saw a Freightliner Cascadia truck tow Tenacity at high speeds to simulate critical dynamics and validating autonomous navigational parameters during runway landing operations. The teams also simulated safing the vehicle as they would after a landing and removing time-sensitive payloads. Despite reported issues with propulsion systems on the vehicle, Sierra Space says they have full trust in their thrusters. Sierra Space’s innovative Tri-mode thrusters have completed an extensive qualification and acceptance test program at their Badger Propulsion Test Facility, located in North Freedom, Wisconsin. Second Vehicle on Hold A second Dream Chaser vehicle, Reverence, was seen being built when NASASpaceflight.com was granted access to the company’s facilities in 2023. The company now says its future is questionable. Dream Chaser Reverence production is on hold as the team focuses on Dream Chaser Tenacity’s first mission and test flow would depend on any future customer requirements. Still remaining for Tenacity will be a hot-fire test, integrated hardware and software testing, as well as its final round of acoustic testing, the latter of which is scheduled for December 2025. The team feels they are prepared for the updated free flight and are confident in their teams and vehicle. 417