The highly anticipated launch of the Dream Chaser spaceplane may be delayed yet again as Sierra Space continues to test its experimental vehicle.<\/p>\n
The inaugural Dream Chaser, named Tenacity, is slated for a launch date in 2025. However, recent comments by a NASA official revealed that there\u2019s a lot more work to be done before the spaceplane is ready to fly to the International Space Station and that it\u2019s highly unlikely to meet its deadline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still have some of our integrated safety reviews to do, and we\u2019re in the process with updating both of our schedules to try to understand where does that really put us,\u201d Dana Weigel, the program manager for the ISS, said during a recent media briefing, according to Aerospace America<\/a>. \u201cSierra\u2019s working on that, and so I need to wait and just get information back from them to see where they think some of that work lines out.\u201d<\/p>\n Dream Chaser has been years in the making. NASA awarded Sierra Space a Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract in 2016 to provide at least seven cargo deliveries to the ISS. The Colorado-based company originally intended for Dream Chaser\u2019s inaugural flight to take place in 2020, but the spaceplane suffered several delays due to technical issues and certification hurdles. Although its 2025 launch date still appears on NASA\u2019s schedule<\/a>, Weigel\u2019s recent comments don\u2019t sound too promising.<\/p>\n Dream Chaser is designed to launch to low Earth orbit atop a rocket but survive atmospheric reentry and perform runway landings on the surface upon its return, similar to NASA\u2019s Space Shuttle. The futuristic-looking vehicle has foldable wings that fully unfurl once it\u2019s in flight, generating power through solar arrays. The spaceplane is also equipped with heat shield tiles to protect it from the high temperatures of atmospheric reentry.<\/p>\n \u201cI think everyone really underestimates what it takes to put together a complex spacecraft. I mean, you\u2019re watching it right now with Boeing Starliner, you\u2019re watching it with Sierra, but if we remind ourselves on average it takes eight to 10 years for a spacecraft to get ready and fly,\u201d Weigel told reporters during the briefing.<\/p>\n Apart from SpaceX\u2019s Dragon spacecraft, NASA hasn\u2019t had any luck in moving forward with an alternative means of transportation for its crew and cargo to the ISS. Following lessons learned from Boeing\u2019s Starliner fiasco, which left a crew stranded on the space station<\/a> for nine months, NASA may be taking extra precaution before launching Tenacity to the ISS.<\/p>\n One of the remaining tasks to be completed before its debut launch is a certification of Dream Chaser\u2019s software. Starliner e<\/a>xperienced significant software issues<\/a> during its first orbital test flight in December 2019, which pointed to problems with the spacecraft\u2019s software certification.<\/p>\n