Payload testing carried out by Sierra Space and NASA has shown the Dream Chaser space plane is capable of carrying cargo to the International Space Station.
Joint Test 10B was run at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida last month to prove the space plane can provide power, air-cool, and exchange data with multiple payloads inside its pressurized cabin. These capabilities are needed to enable Dream Chaser to transport cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).
Dream Chaser is scheduled to make its first mission in May.
Pablo Gonzalez, vice president of crew and cargo transportation systems at Sierra Space aid, “Tests like these are critical demonstrations of the capabilities of the Dream Chaser spaceplane and confirm our ability to handle specialized payloads such as vital scientific research that will be integral to our mission to the ISS,”
“This milestone highlights Dream Chaser’s flexibility, reliability, and capability to meet the diverse needs of our payload customers – including NASA and commercial partners – and it brings us another step closer to launch.”
The Joint Test 10B test demonstrated that Dream Chaser can provide power within a specific voltage range and maintain the necessary environmental requirements for payloads. It also ensured all vehicle and payload data will be seen in Sierra Space’s mission control room in Louisville, Colorado, and in the payload support control rooms at NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama.
During the Joint Test 10B, the test team successfully evaluated three payloads, all of which are candidates for flight on DCC-1, the first official mission of Dream Chaser.
These payloads included:
Polar: A cryogenic preservation system developed by the University of Alabama which is designed to preserve scientific samples aboard the ISS and other visiting spacecraft at temperatures ranging from -95°C to +10°C.
Powered Ascent Utility Locker: A facility developed by Space Tango that holds two CubeLab experiments requiring power during ascent. These experiments often focus on biological research, such as cell and tissue cultures.
NASA’s Single Stowage Locker: A standard stowage system designed to carry experiments and other payloads in the Dream Chaser spaceplane.
“Space Tango’s recent integration testing with the Sierra Space Dream Chaser went well and all teams were very happy with the results,” said Anne Currin, director of mission management at Space Tango.
