A reusable launch vehicle has parts that can be recovered and reflown, while carrying payloads from the surface to outer space . Rocket stages are the most common launch vehicle parts aimed for reuse. Smaller parts such as rocket engines and boosters can also be reused, though reusable spacecraft may be launched on top of an expendable launch vehicle. Reusable launch vehicles do not need to make these parts for each launch, therefore reducing its launch cost significantly. However, these benefits are diminished by the cost of recovery and refurbishment.
86-555: Dream Chaser is an American reusable lifting-body spaceplane developed by Sierra Space . Originally intended as a crewed vehicle, the Dream Chaser Space System is set to be produced after the Dream Chaser Cargo System cargo variant is operational. The crewed variant is planned to carry up to seven people and cargo to and from low Earth orbit . Sierra plans to manufacture a fleet of
172-530: A better value." In December 2014, Sierra Nevada proposed Dream Chaser for CRS-2 consideration. In January 2016, NASA announced that Dream Chaser had been awarded one of the CRS-2 contracts and committed to purchasing a minimum of six resupply missions to the ISS. The cargo spacecraft will fly alongside spacecraft from the existing CRS-1 contract holders SpaceX and Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems . In October 2015,
258-488: A contract with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to use its Shooting Star expendable cargo vehicle as a possible commercial solution for a high-powered uncrewed orbital outpost. In 2010, the following organizations were named as technology partners for the original passenger Dream Chaser: The Dream Chaser design is derived from NASA 's HL-20 Personnel Launch System spaceplane concept, which in turn
344-562: A flight test program with experimental vehicles . These subsequently led to the development of the Falcon 9 reusable rocket launcher. Defense Innovation Unit The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) organization founded to help the U.S. military make faster use of emerging commercial technologies. Launched in 2015, the organization has been called "the Pentagon's Innovation Experiment". DIU
430-432: A full-scale captive carry flight test, and a Systems Requirement Review (SRR). By February 2012, Sierra Nevada Corporation stated that it had completed the assembly and delivery of the primary structure of the first Dream Chaser flight test vehicle. With this, SNC completed all 11 of its CCDev milestones that were scheduled up to that point. SNC stated in a press release that it was "on time and on budget." On May 29, 2012,
516-518: A fully reusable successor to the Saturn V rocket, having the capacity of transporting up to 450–910 t (990,000–2,000,000 lb) to orbit. See also Sea Dragon , and Douglas SASSTO . The BAC Mustard was studied starting in 1964. It would have comprised three identical spaceplanes strapped together and arranged in two stages. During ascent the two outer spaceplanes, which formed the first stage, would detach and glide back individually to earth. It
602-755: A part of its launch system. More contemporarily the Falcon 9 launch system has carried reusable vehicles such as the Dragon 2 and X-37 , transporting two reusable vehicles at the same time. Contemporary reusable orbital vehicles include the X-37, the Dream Chaser , the Dragon 2, the Indian RLV-TD and the upcoming European Space Rider (successor to the IXV ). As with launch vehicles, all pure spacecraft during
688-430: A process called the 'Commercial Solutions Opening' (CSO) created by Lauren Dailey, David Rothzeid, and Robert Trejo along with a group of contracting officers from Army Contracting Command (ACC-NJ) for awarding prototype contracts through the use of Other Transaction Authority (OTA) leveraging 10 U.S. Code § 4022 ( formerly § 2371b ) for competitive selection of advanced commercial technologies. After rapid prototyping,
774-555: A protest to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO). On October 22, 2014, a Federal Judge ruled the contract awards to Boeing and SpaceX valid, allowing NASA to proceed. On September 29, 2014, Sierra Nevada introduced the "Dream Chaser Global Project" which would provide customized access to low Earth orbit to global customers. Despite not being selected to continue forward under NASA's Commercial Crew transportation Capability (CCtCap) phase of
860-422: A rocket which is planned to be reusable. As of October 2024 , Starship is the only launch vehicle intended to be fully reusable that has been fully built and tested. The most recent test flight was on October 13, 2024, in which the vehicle completed a suborbital launch and landed both stages for the second time. The Super Heavy booster was caught successfully by the "chopstick system" on Orbital Pad A for
946-692: A second office would open in Boston. From May 2016 to February 2018, its managing partner was Raj Shah, a Wharton MBA graduate who flew F-16s in Iraq as an Air National Guard reservist and cofounded Morta Security, later acquired by Palo Alto Networks . Other leaders include Isaac Taylor, Chris Kirchhoff, Vishaal Hariprasad, and Ajay Amlani. Taylor spent 13 years at Google , designing and building its first self-driving cars, then later rising to operations director of Google X , where he started projects involving robotics and augmented reality. Kirchhoff served as
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#17327982023541032-720: A strategist in President Obama 's National Security Council and as the civilian assistant to General Martin Dempsey , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Hariprasad is a highly decorated Air Force cyberwarfare officer who cofounded Morta Security with Raj Shah. Amlani is a former White House Fellow and cofounder of the airport security service CLEAR, who co-led many of DIU's autonomy and software initiatives. In August 2017, when Captain Sean Heritage, USN,
1118-423: Is an in-air-capture tow back system, advocated by a company called EMBENTION with its FALCon project. Vehicles that land horizontally on a runway require wings and undercarriage. These typically consume about 9-12% of the landing vehicle mass, which either reduces the payload or increases the size of the vehicle. Concepts such as lifting bodies offer some reduction in wing mass, as does the delta wing shape of
1204-484: Is assumed that the bulk density of the first stage (without propellant) is less than the bulk density of air. Upon returning from flight, such a first stage remains floating in the air (without touching the surface of the Earth). This will ensure that the first stage is retained for reuse. Increasing the size of the first stage increases aerodynamic losses. This results in a slight decrease in payload. This reduction in payload
1290-607: Is compensated for by the reuse of the first stage. Reusable stages weigh more than equivalent expendable stages . This is unavoidable due to the supplementary systems, landing gear and/or surplus propellant needed to land a stage. The actual mass penalty depends on the vehicle and the return mode chosen. After the launcher lands, it may need to be refurbished to prepare it for its next flight. This process may be lengthy and expensive. The launcher may not be able to be recertified as human-rated after refurbishment, although SpaceX has flown reused Falcon 9 boosters for human missions. There
1376-716: Is descended from a series of test vehicles, including the X-20 Dyna-Soar , Northrop M2-F2 , Northrop M2-F3 , Northrop HL-10 , Martin X-24A and X-24B , and Martin X-23 PRIME . The name "Dream Chaser" had been previously used for two separate space vehicle concepts. The first was planned to be an orbital vehicle based on the HL-20 , with the second suborbital vehicle proposed by the Benson Space Company for
1462-430: Is eventually a limit on how many times a launcher can be refurbished before it has to be retired, but how often a launcher can be reused differs significantly between the various launch system designs. With the development of rocket propulsion in the first half of the twentieth century, space travel became a technical possibility. Early ideas of a single-stage reusable spaceplane proved unrealistic and although even
1548-702: Is intended as a "mixed-use business park". Sierra Space Corporation's Dream Chaser was chosen as one of the commercial spacecraft to transport commercial crew to and from the space station, along with Boeing 's Starliner . The cargo version of the SSC Dream Chaser is called the Dream Chaser Cargo System (DCCS) and after development is completed, will fly resupply flights to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services-2 program. Featuring an expendable cargo module mounting solar panels ,
1634-463: Is intended to be launched vertically on the Vulcan Centaur rocket and autonomously land horizontally on conventional runways. A proposed version to be operated by European Space Agency (ESA) would launch on an Arianespace vehicle. The Dream Chaser concept and design is a descendant of NASA's HL-20 Personnel Launch System . The Dream Chaser spaceplane is designed to be launched on
1720-606: Is not an explosively volatile material, nor toxic like hydrazine , allowing the Dream Chaser to be handled immediately after landing, unlike the Space Shuttle . As of 2020, the Sierra Nevada Corporation said it still planned to produce a crewed version of the spacecraft within the next 5 years. The company said it "never stopped working" on the crewed version and fully intended to launch it after
1806-594: Is slated to be the first orbital test vehicle, with orbital flight testing planned to begin within the next two years. In January 2013, Sierra Nevada announced that the second captive carry and first unpowered drop test of Dream Chaser would take place at Edwards Air Force Base , California in March 2013. The spaceplane release would occur at 12,000 feet (3,700 m) altitude and would be followed by an autonomous robotic landing . On March 13, 2013, NASA announced that former Space Shuttle commander Lee Archambault
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#17327982023541892-665: Is staffed by civilian and both active duty and reserve military personnel. The organization is headquartered in Mountain View, California — Silicon Valley — with offices in Austin, Boston, Chicago, and the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C. The DIU's mission is to accelerate DoD adoption of commercial technology, transform military capacity and capability, and strengthen the American national security innovation base. It seeks to strengthen US national security by accelerating
1978-835: Is thought of as the first stage of the launch vehicle. An example of this configuration is the Orbital Sciences Pegasus . For suborbital flight the SpaceShipTwo uses for liftoff a carrier plane, its mothership the Scaled Composites White Knight Two . Rocket Lab is working on Neutron , and the European Space Agency is working on Themis . Both vehicles are planned to recover the first stage. So far, most launch systems achieve orbital insertion with at least partially expended multistaged rockets , particularly with
2064-533: Is to be caught by arms after performing most of the typical steps of a retrograde landing. Blue Origin 's New Shepard suborbital rocket also lands vertically back at the launch site. Retrograde landing typically requires about 10% of the total first stage propellant, reducing the payload that can be carried due to the rocket equation . There is also the concept of a launch vehicle with an inflatable, reusable first stage. The shape of this structure will be supported by excess internal pressure (using light gases). It
2150-455: Is working on a two-stage-to-orbit system. SpaceX is testing Starship , which has been in development since 2016 and has made an initial test flight in April 2023 and 5 more flights as of November 2024. Blue Origin , with Project Jarvis , began development work by early 2021, but has announced no date for testing and have not discussed the project publicly. Stoke Space is also developing
2236-550: The Falcon 9 and the New Shepard employ retrograde burns for re-entry, and landing. Reusable systems can come in single or multiple ( two or three ) stages to orbit configurations. For some or all stages the following landing system types can be employed. These are landing systems that employ parachutes and bolstered hard landings, like in a splashdown at sea or a touchdown at land. The latter may require an engine burn just before landing as parachutes alone cannot slow
2322-699: The Space Launch System are considered to be retrofitted with such heat shields to salvage the expensive engines, possibly reducing the costs of launches significantly. Heat shields allow an orbiting spacecraft to land safely without expending very much fuel. They need not take the form of inflatable heat shields, they may simply take the form of heat-resistant tiles that prevent heat conduction . Heat shields are also proposed for use in combination with retrograde thrust to allow for full reusability as seen in Starship . Reusable launch system stages such as
2408-475: The Space Shuttle . Systems like the McDonnell Douglas DC-X (Delta Clipper) and those by SpaceX are examples of a retrograde system. The boosters of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy land using one of their nine engines. The Falcon 9 rocket is the first orbital rocket to vertically land its first stage on the ground. The first stage of Starship is planned to land vertically, while the second
2494-561: The Space Shuttle orbiter that acted as an orbital insertion stage, but it did not reuse the External Tank that fed the RS-25 engines. This is an example of a reusable launch system which reuses specific components of rockets. ULA’s Vulcan Centaur was originally designed to reuse the first stage engines, while the tank is expended. The engines would splashdown on an inflatable aeroshell , then be recovered. On 23 February 2024, one of
2580-766: The drop test of a 15% scaled version at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center . Sierra Nevada proposed Dream Chaser for the CCDev phase 2 solicitation by NASA in October 2010, with an estimated project cost of less than $ 1 billion. On 18 April 2011, NASA awarded $ 80 million to Sierra Nevada Corporation for Dream Chaser. Since then, nearly a dozen further milestones have been completed under that Space Act Agreement. Some of these milestones included testing of an improved airfoil fin shape , integrated flight software and hardware, landing gear ,
2666-631: The 'Program Implementation Plan Review'. This included creating a plan for implementing design, development, testing, and evaluation activities through the duration of CCiCap funding. By October 2012 the "Integrated System Baseline Review", or CCiCap Milestone 2, had been completed. This review demonstrated the maturity of the Dream Chaser Space System as well as the integration and support of the Atlas V launch vehicle , mission systems, and ground systems. On August 3, 2012, NASA announced
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2752-447: The (retired) Ariane 5 as well as the (soon to be retired) Atlas V . An expendable cargo module will launch attached to the back of the spacecraft, expanding the cargo uplift capacity and supporting the disposal of up to 3,250 kg (7,170 lb) of trash. Total uplift is planned for 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) pressurized and 500 kg (1,100 lb) unpressurized, with a downlift of 1,750 kg (3,860 lb) contained within
2838-550: The 2000s and 2010s lead to a resurgence of their development, such as in SpaceShipOne , New Shepard , Electron , Falcon 9 , and Falcon Heavy . Many launch vehicles are now expected to debut with reusability in the 2020s, such as Starship , New Glenn , Neutron , Soyuz-7 , Ariane Next , Long March , Terran R , and the Dawn Mk-II Aurora. The impact of reusability in launch vehicles has been foundational in
2924-558: The Dream Chaser ETA was released from an altitude of 3,700 m and successfully landed at Edwards AFB. In March 2019, completion of NASA's Integrated Review Milestone 5 (IR5) confirmed that development was still on schedule. In August 2019, SNC announced the first ISS flight of the Dream Chaser, known as SNC Demo-1 , was planned for 2021. However, on November 17, 2020, SNC announced it would be delayed until early 2022. In April 2021 SNC spun off its Dream Chaser division, creating
3010-704: The Dream Chaser Engineering Test Article (ETA) was lifted by an Erickson Skycrane helicopter in a captive carry test to better determine its aerodynamic properties. In May 2013, the ETA was shipped to the Dryden Flight Research Center in California for a series of ground tests and aerodynamic flight tests . A second captive carry flight test was completed on August 22, 2013. On June 12, 2012, SNC announced
3096-723: The Dream Chaser cargo system for CRS-2 flights. The module is a 15-foot-long (4.6 m) attachment to Dream Chaser that will allow the spacecraft to carry an additional 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to ISS. The module supports disposal of unwanted cargo by burning up upon re-entry. In addition to carrying cargo, the Shooting Star module includes solar panels that supply up to 6 kW of electrical power. It also supplies active and passive thermal management; provides Dream Chaser translation and rotation capability via six mounted thrusters; and supports berthing or docking (in different configurations) to
3182-581: The GAO's managing associate counsel, announced that NASA "recognized Boeing's higher price but also considered Boeing's proposal to be the strongest of all three proposals in terms of technical approach, management approach and past performance, and to offer the crew transportation system with most utility and highest value to the government." Furthermore, the agency found "several favorable features" in SNC's proposal "but ultimately concluded that SpaceX's lower price made it
3268-471: The ISS. Access from ISS to Dream Chaser will involve crew passing through Shooting Star (which supports a shirt-sleeve environment) and through a hatch that separates Shooting Star from Dream Chaser. Sierra Nevada says the module is capable of additional types of missions in LEO or to cis-lunar destinations; they have developed a free-flying variant with additional capabilities. In July 2020, Sierra Nevada announced
3354-582: The International Space Station. It was to have a built-in launch escape system and could fly autonomously if needed. Although it could use any suitable launch vehicle, it was planned to be launched on a human-rated Atlas V N12 rocket. The vehicle will be able to return from space by gliding (typically experiencing less than 1.5 g on re-entry) and landing on any airport runway that handles commercial air traffic. Its reaction control system thrusters burned ethanol-based fuel, which
3440-611: The Shuttle technology, to be demonstrated under the X-33 and X-34 programs, which were both cancelled in the early 2000s due to rising costs and technical issues. The Ansari X Prize contest was intended to develop private suborbital reusable vehicles. Many private companies competed, with the winner, Scaled Composites , reaching the Kármán line twice in a two-week period with their reusable SpaceShipOne . In 2012, SpaceX started
3526-693: The adoption of commercial technology throughout the military and growing the national security innovation base. DIU partners with organizations across the Department of Defense, from the services and components to combatant commands and defense agencies, to rapidly prototype and field advanced commercial products that address national security challenges. DIU operates six portfolios dedicated to solving national security demand in AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning), Autonomy, Cyber, Human Systems, Energy, and Space. In 2016, DIU, then known as DIUx, pioneered
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3612-404: The aircraft. Other than that a range of non-rocket liftoff systems have been proposed and explored over time as reusable systems for liftoff, from balloons to space elevators . Existing examples are systems which employ winged horizontal jet-engine powered liftoff. Such aircraft can air launch expendable rockets and can because of that be considered partially reusable systems if the aircraft
3698-559: The atmosphere and navigate through it, so they are often equipped with heat shields , grid fins , and other flight control surfaces . By modifying their shape, spaceplanes can leverage aviation mechanics to aid in its recovery, such as gliding or lift . In the atmosphere, parachutes or retrorockets may also be needed to slow it down further. Reusable parts may also need specialized recovery facilities such as runways or autonomous spaceport drone ships . Some concepts rely on ground infrastructures such as mass drivers to accelerate
3784-559: The award of $ 212.5 million to Sierra Nevada Corporation to continue work on the Dream Chaser under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) Program. On January 30, 2013, SNC announced a new partnership with Lockheed Martin . Under the agreement, SNC will pay Lockheed Martin $ 10 million to build the second airframe at its Michoud facility in New Orleans, Louisiana . This second airframe
3870-481: The cargo version, and is still committed to the crewed version as of 2021. In November 2021, Sierra Space Corporation reported that it received a $ 1.4 billion investment in Series A funding, which it would use to develop a crewed version of Dream Chaser and fly astronauts by 2025. On October 25, 2021, Blue Origin and Sierra Space , released their plan for a commercial space station. The station, called Orbital Reef ,
3956-491: The commemoration of its fifth year as a NASA Langley partner in the design and development of Dream Chaser. The NASA/SNC team had worked on aerodynamic and aerothermal analysis of Dream Chaser, as well as guidance, navigation, and control systems. Together with ULA , the NASA/SNC team performed buffet tests on the Dream Chaser and Atlas V stack. On July 11, 2012, SNC announced that it successfully completed testing of
4042-531: The craft down enough to prevent injury to astronauts. This can be seen in the Soyuz capsule. Though such systems have been in use since the beginning of astronautics to recover space vehicles, only later have the vehicles been reused. E.g.: Single or main stages, as well as fly-back boosters can employ a horizontal landing system. These vehicles land on earth much like a plane does, but they usually do not use propellant during landing. Examples are: A variant
4128-421: The de-orbit burn duration of the Dream Chaser. Its thermal protection system (TPS) is made up of silica-based tiles (for most of the belly and upper portion of the heat shield), and a new composite material called Toughened Unipiece Fibrous Reusable Oxidation Resistant Ceramic (TUFROC) to cover the nose and leading edges. In 2019, it was announced that an expendable Shooting Star cargo module would be part of
4214-430: The early decades of human capacity to achieve spaceflight were designed to be single-use items. This was true both for satellites and space probes intended to be left in space for a long time, as well as any object designed to return to Earth such as human-carrying space capsules or the sample return canisters of space matter collection missions like Stardust (1999–2006) or Hayabusa (2005–2010). Exceptions to
4300-479: The effort to send crews to orbit via private companies, SNC completed the milestones assigned under earlier phases of the CCP. On December 2, 2014, SNC announced that it completed NASA's CCiCap Milestone 5a related to propulsion risk reduction for the Dream Chaser space system. By late December, details had emerged that "a high-ranking agency official"—" William Gerstenmaier , the agency's top human exploration official and
4386-492: The far more promising Skylon design, which remains in development. From the late 1990s to the 2000s, the European Space Agency studied the recovery of the Ariane 5 solid rocket boosters. The last recovery attempt took place in 2009. The commercial ventures, Rocketplane Kistler and Rotary Rocket , attempted to build reusable privately developed rockets before going bankrupt. NASA proposed reusable concepts to replace
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#17327982023544472-485: The first completed piece of the orbital Flight Test Article (FTA) composite airframe was unveiled at a Lockheed Martin facility. On September 16, 2014, NASA did not select the Dream Chaser for CCtCap, the next phase of the Commercial Crew Program. This occurred despite previous Commercial Crew Development awards in every phase since 2009, due to lack of maturity. On September 26, Sierra Nevada filed
4558-588: The first flight would be pushed to January 2023. The launch has been further delayed; as of October 2024, it is scheduled for no earlier than May 2025. On November 19, 2021, Sierra Space announced that it is considering a third Dream Chaser version specialized for National Security missions, though it declined to comment on what the differences compared with other versions would be. Reusable launch system Reusable launch vehicles may contain additional avionics and propellant , making them heavier than their expendable counterparts. Reused parts may need to enter
4644-431: The first practical rocket vehicles ( V-2 ) could reach the fringes of space, reusable technology was too heavy. In addition, many early rockets were developed to deliver weapons, making reuse impossible by design. The problem of mass efficiency was overcome by using multiple expendable stages in a vertical launch multistage rocket . USAF and NACA had been studying orbital reusable spaceplanes since 1958, e.g. Dyna-Soar , but
4730-476: The first reusable stages did not fly until the advent of the US Space Shuttle in 1981. Perhaps the first reusable launch vehicles were the ones conceptualized and studied by Wernher von Braun from 1948 until 1956. The Von Braun Ferry Rocket underwent two revisions: once in 1952 and again in 1956. They would have landed using parachutes. The General Dynamics Nexus was proposed in the 1960s as
4816-528: The first time. The Ship completed its second successful reentry and returned for a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The test marked the second instance that could be considered meeting all requirements to be fully reusable. Partial reusable launch systems, in the form of multiple stage to orbit systems have been so far the only reusable configurations in use. The historic Space Shuttle reused its Solid Rocket Boosters , its RS-25 engines and
4902-612: The flight dynamics characteristics that the vehicle will experience during orbital ascent and re-entry. Wind tunnel testing was also completed for the Dream Chaser Atlas V integrated launch system. These tests were completed at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California, CALSPAN Transonic Wind Tunnel in New York, and at NASA Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel in Hampton, Virginia. On August 1, 2014,
4988-514: The fully independent Sierra Space Corporation , which assumed responsibility for the further development of the Dream Chaser space vehicle system. In May 2022, it was announced by the deputy manager of ISS, Dana Weigel, that the mission was scheduled for February 2023. In May 2024, it was announced that Dream Chaser Tenacity completed initial flight testing and was headed next to Kennedy Space Center to prepare for launch. It arrived later that month for launch preparation. The Vulcan Centaur to be used for
5074-670: The general rule for space vehicles were the US Gemini SC-2 , the Soviet Union spacecraft Vozvraschaemyi Apparat (VA) , the US Space Shuttle orbiter (mid-1970s-2011, with 135 flights between 1981 and 2011) and the Soviet Buran (1980-1988, with just one uncrewed test flight in 1988). Both of these spaceships were also an integral part of the launch system (providing launch acceleration) as well as operating as medium-duration spaceships in space . This began to change in
5160-535: The ground, in order to retrieve and reuse the vehicle. As of 2021 , SpaceX is building and testing the Starship spaceship to be capable of surviving multiple hypersonic reentries through the atmosphere so that they become truly reusable long-duration spaceships; no Starship operational flights have yet occurred. With possible inflatable heat shields , as developed by the US (Low Earth Orbit Flight Test Inflatable Decelerator - LOFTID) and China, single-use rockets like
5246-484: The launch arrived to KSC in late June 2024. However, the Orlando Sentinel reports, June 26, "Dream Chaser dropped from next Vulcan launch as ULA targets national security certification". The mission has since been delayed to no earlier than May 2025. The originally planned Dream Chaser Space System is a human-rated version designed to carry from three to seven people and cargo to orbital destinations such as
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#17327982023545332-432: The launch vehicle beforehand. Since at least in the early 20th century, single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicles have existed in science fiction . In the 1970s, the first reusable launch vehicle, the Space Shuttle , was developed. However, in the 1990s, due to the program's failure to meet expectations, reusable launch vehicle concepts were reduced to prototype testing. The rise of private spaceflight companies in
5418-602: The left main landing gear failed to deploy resulting in a crash landing. The vehicle skidded off the runway in a cloud of dust, but was found upright with the crew compartment intact and all systems inside still in working order. In January 2014, SNC announced it had signed a launch contract to fly the first orbital test vehicle on a robotically controlled orbital test flight in November 2016. In early 2014, Sierra Nevada completed its wind tunnel testing as part of its CCiCAP Milestone 8. The wind tunnel testing involved analyzing
5504-641: The mid-2010s. In the 2010s, the space transport cargo capsule from one of the suppliers resupplying the International Space Station was designed for reuse, and after 2017, NASA began to allow the reuse of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on these NASA-contracted transport routes. This was the beginning of design and operation of a reusable space vehicle . The Boeing Starliner capsules also reduce their fall speed with parachutes and deploy an airbag shortly before touchdown on
5590-480: The nine Merlin engines a powering a Falcon 9 launched for the 22nd time, making it the most reused liquid fuel engine used in an operational manner, having already surpassed Space Shuttle Main Engine number 2019's record of 19 flights. As of 2024, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are the only orbital rockets to reuse their boosters, although multiple other systems are in development. All aircraft-launched rockets reuse
5676-518: The nose landing gear for Dream Chaser. This milestone evaluated the impact to the landing gear during simulated approach and landing tests as well as the impact of future orbital flights . The main landing gear was tested in a similar way in February 2012. The nose gear landing test was the last milestone to be completed before the free flight approach and landing tests scheduled for later in 2012. In August 2012, SNC completed CCiCap Milestone 1, or
5762-527: The one who made the final decision"—"opted to rank Boeing's proposal higher than a previous panel of agency procurement experts." More specifically, Sierra Nevada asserted in their filings with the GAO that Gerstenmaier may have "overstepped his authority by unilaterally changing the scoring criteria." On January 5, 2015, the GAO denied Sierra Nevada's CCtCap challenge, stating that NASA made the proper decision when it decided to award Boeing $ 4.2 billion and SpaceX $ 2.6 billion to develop their vehicles. Ralph White,
5848-399: The propulsion system. The hybrid rocket engine design was dropped in favor of a cluster of Orbitec's Vortex engines. The new unit would be a pressure-fed three-mode engine. At low- and mid-power regimes it uses monopropellant fuel – hydrogen peroxide – and in high-power demand, the engine adds injection of RP-1 fuel. This increased thrust will be useful to shorten
5934-526: The purposes of space tourism. The Dream Chaser was publicly announced on September 20, 2004. In April 2007, SpaceDev announced that it had partnered with the United Launch Alliance to pursue the possibility of using the Atlas V booster rocket as the Dream Chaser's launch vehicle. In June 2007, SpaceDev signed a Space Act agreement with NASA. On October 21, 2008, SpaceDev with Dream Chaser
6020-563: The resulting material can be transitioned and scaled through production OT (2371b(f)) agreements or other follow-on contracts for units and organizations that find utility with the prototyping effort. DIU was launched in August 2015 as "Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx)." It was founded by then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ; in May 2016, Carter announced a reboot of the organization, directing that it report directly to his office, and that
6106-404: The second and third stages. Only the Space Shuttle has achieved a reuse of the orbital insertion stage, by using the engines and fuel tank of its orbiter . The Buran spaceplane and Starship spacecraft are two other reusable spacecraft that were designed to be able to act as orbital insertion stages and have been produced, however the former only made one uncrewed test flight before the project
6192-641: The space flight industry. So much so that in 2024, the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station initiated a 50 year forward looking plan for the Cape that involved major infrastructure upgrades (including to Port Canaveral ) to support a higher anticipated launch cadence and landing sites for the new generation of vehicles. Reusable launch systems may be either fully or partially reusable. Several companies are currently developing fully reusable launch vehicles as of March 2024. Each of them
6278-536: The spacecraft will be capable of returning 1,750 kg (3,860 lb) to Earth while undergoing maximum re-entry forces of 1.5G. To meet CRS-2 guidelines, the cargo Dream Chaser will have folding wings and fit within a 5 m diameter payload fairing , in contrast to the Crewed Dream Chaser, which is intended to launch without a fairing. The ability to fit into a payload fairing allows the cargo version to launch on any sufficiently capable vehicle, such as
6364-628: The spaceplane. The Dream Chaser was originally started in 2004 as a project of SpaceDev , a company that was later acquired by the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) in 2008. In April 2021 the project was taken over by the Sierra Space Corporation (SSC), spun off from the Sierra Nevada Corporation as its own fully independent company. The cargo Dream Chaser is designed to resupply the International Space Station with both pressurized and unpressurized cargo. It
6450-407: The spaceplane. The expendable cargo module is called "Shooting Star". On August 14, 2019, it was announced that all six Dream Chaser CRS-2 flights would be carried into orbit by ULA's Vulcan launch vehicle, with the first Dream Chaser flight being the second Vulcan flight in late 2021. However, on February 9, 2022, Ken Shields, Sierra Space's Director of Commercial Market Development, announced that
6536-607: The thermal protection system was installed on the Engineering Test Article (ETA) for the next phase of atmospheric flight testing. The orbital cabin assembly of the Flight Test Article (FTA) was also completed by contractor Lockheed Martin. In 2015, the ETA had reportedly been given the name Eagle , while the FTA was originally named Ascalon before being changed to Ascension . On November 11, 2017,
6622-409: The top of a typical rocket and land like an airplane on a runway. The design has heritage going back decades. Currently, the Dream Chaser will resupply the ISS with cargo. Per the company's website, a crew version is planned for a later date. Sierra Space is currently contracted under CRS-2 to perform resupply missions to the ISS over the next few years. On-orbit propulsion of the Dream Chaser
6708-435: Was acquired by the Sierra Nevada Corporation for US$ 38 million. On February 1, 2010, Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded $ 20 million in seed money under NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) phase 1 program for the development of the Dream Chaser. SNC completed the four planned milestones on time, including hybrid rocket test fires and the preliminary structure design. Further initial Dream Chaser tests included
6794-461: Was canceled after the last study of the design in 1967 due to a lack of funds for development. NASA started the Space Shuttle design process in 1968, with the vision of creating a fully reusable spaceplane using a crewed fly-back booster . This concept proved expensive and complex, therefore the design was scaled back to reusable solid rocket boosters and an expendable external tank . Space Shuttle Columbia launched and landed 27 times and
6880-689: Was canceled in 1993. In the late 1980s a fully reusable version of the Energia rocket, the Energia II, was proposed. Its boosters and core would have had the capability of landing separately on a runway. In the 1990s the McDonnell Douglas Delta Clipper VTOL SSTO proposal progressed to the testing phase. The DC-X prototype demonstrated rapid turnaround time and automatic computer control. In mid-1990s, British research evolved an earlier HOTOL design into
6966-431: Was cancelled, and the latter is not yet operational, having completed four orbital test flights , as of June 2024, which achieved all of its mission objectives at the fourth flight. Launch systems can be combined with reusable spaceplanes or capsules. The Space Shuttle orbiter , SpaceShipTwo , Dawn Mk-II Aurora, and the under-development Indian RLV-TD are examples for a reusable space vehicle (a spaceplane ) as well as
7052-582: Was interim director, the Deputy Secretary of Defense directed DIUx to be re-designated as the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to indicate the organization's permanence within the Department of Defense. On September 24, 2018, Michael Brown took over as DIU's Managing Director. In April 2021, Brown was originally going to be President Joe Biden 's nominee for chief weapons buyer for the Department of Defense when news broke that he
7138-424: Was leaving the agency in order to join SNC. Archambault, a former combat pilot and 15-year NASA veteran who flew on Atlantis and Discovery , will work on the Dream Chaser program as a systems engineer and test pilot. On October 26, 2013, the first free-flight occurred. The test vehicle was released from the helicopter and flew the correct flightpath to touchdown less than a minute later. Just prior to landing,
7224-444: Was lost with all crew on the 28th landing attempt; Challenger launched and landed 9 times and was lost with all crew on the 10th launch attempt; Discovery launched and landed 39 times; Atlantis launched and landed 33 times; Endeavour launched and landed 25 times. In 1986 President Ronald Reagan called for an air-breathing scramjet National Aerospace Plane (NASP)/ X-30 . The project failed due to technical issues and
7310-630: Was originally proposed to be provided by twin hybrid rocket engines capable of repeated starts and throttling. At the time, the SSC's predecessor, the SNC was also developing a similar hybrid rocket for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo . In May 2014, SNC involvement in the SpaceShipTwo program ended. After the acquisition of Orbitec LLC in July 2014, Sierra Nevada Corporation announced a major change to
7396-607: Was under investigation by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General over alleged breaches of federal hiring rules at the DIU. Brown withdrew his name from consideration shortly afterward. Brown left his position as managing director on September 2, 2022. On September 9, 2022, the DoD Inspector General found the allegations to be unsubstantiated. Doug Beck is the new director of DIU, reporting directly to
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