What Astronaut Revealed About Dream Chaser Shocked Boeing and even SpaceX…

While we were busy updating information about SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft or Boeing's troubled Starliner, we accidentally missed an equally important vehicle, Sierra Space's Dream Chaser. Despite being developed by a smaller, newer company, Dream Chaser marks an exciting leap in space transportation, paving the way for more efficient and flexible missions. For that reason, as the vehicle inches closer to its long-awaited maiden launch, it has space enthusiasts, especially astronauts, more excited than ever. What astronaut just revealed about NASA's spaceplane humiliated Boeing and even SpaceX. The news that Sierra Space's Dream Chaser will not make its first launch this year has disappointed many. Initially, the spaceplane was on the manifest for United Launch Alliance's second Vulcan Centaur flight, but then failed to meet the launch date of September, as ULA's expectation. As a result, Sierra stepped aside so ULA could move ahead with its certification with the Department of Defense. No doubt, ULA is eager to move forward with this high-stakes second launch. It's the final step before the new Vulcan Centaur rocket can be certified to carry out national security missions for DoD. ULA flew the second Vulcan mission on October 4, leaving the question about the launch window of its partner. Fortunately, so far, the answer is found. Dream Chaser spaceplane's first launch, or Dream Chaser Demo-1, SSC Demo-1, will take place no earlier than May 2025. Talking about this, Canadian retired astronaut Chris Hadfield shared on X, quote, This new spaceplane is about six months from launch. It's called Dream Chaser, to take people and cargo, too, from the space station, landing on a runway. Tenacity, the first model of the Dream Chaser spaceplane, which is going to join SSC Demo-1, arrived at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on May 20, 2024. Eventually, the vessel will fly atop a ULA's Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle. For this demonstration mission under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services-2 program, it will carry about 3,850 kilograms to the International Space Station. The success of the mission will pave the way for the next seven cargo missions to the space station, including crucial cargo delivery, return, and disposal services under NASA's contract. It's safe to say that Dream Chaser is a perfect combination of traditional and modern technological achievements. Its concept and design is a descendant of NASA's HL-20 personnel launch system. The HL-20 was a NASA spaceplane concept in the 1980s that was designed to be a low-cost alternative to the Space Shuttle. The HL-20 was based on the Soviet Bor-4 spacecraft, which was spotted by an American spy plane in the early 1980s. The HL-20 was never put into orbit, but it was extensively tested and reviewed. The secret behind Dream's design is Lockheed Martin's consulting role in building the basic structure for the spaceplane. Keep in mind that the company used to join the construction of both NASA's Space Shuttle and Orion programs. Now part of SLS. Therefore, both Sierra and Lockheed have actually shared lessons learned between Dream Chaser and Orion, which helps the government, and might save some money for everybody in the future, and make them more seamless. Lockheed Martin built the basic structure at the same Texas site where the F-35 fighter is assembled. That structure was then outfitted and integrated with onboard systems at a plant in Colorado, where SNC's space unit is headquartered. Nevertheless, what makes Dream Chaser stand out is the idea of a state-of-the-art spaceplane with a carbon fiber body and advanced avionics capable of doing things other spacecraft cannot. The spaceplane is designed to be launched on the top of a typical rocket and land like an airplane on a runway. The lifting body with winglets allows Dream Chaser to land on any runway in the world, measuring at least 10,000 feet or 3 meters in length. In fact, after when the space shuttle retired nearly a decade ago, Dream Chaser is the only spacecraft NASA currently funds that is capable of maneuvering within the atmosphere. Versatility is a key feature of the Dream Chaser, with its launch site, landing site, vehicle configuration, mission duration, and other characteristics all adjustable to cater to diverse user requirements. This is a major advantage of the Sierra's spacecraft over SpaceX's Starship, given that it doesn't rely on a giant structure like Mechazilla. Moreover, its reliance on non-toxic fuel and its independence from specialized infrastructure afford it the capability to touch down on aircraft runways virtually anywhere. This versatility offers a myriad of advantages, such as expedited and secure transport of payloads and astronauts returning from space to their respective destinations. Furthermore, the ability to land at various locations across the globe fosters international scientific collaboration. Beyond this, the completion of a human-rated variant of the spacecraft holds profound implications. In the event of a medical emergency necessitating urgent crew evacuation from space, Dream Chaser stands ready to serve as a potentially life-saving resource. Even in scenarios demanding emergency landings, the aircraft-like capability of the vehicle ensures the safe return of the crew to the ground, leveraging the widespread availability of runway infrastructure worldwide. Sierra Nevada Corporation stands apart as the sole entity constructing a runway-landing spacecraft, diverging from the Apollo-style capsule approach adopted by Boeing's Starliner. Unlike the capsule design, which relies on descent through the atmosphere, Dream Chaser utilizes parachutes and or rocket engines to facilitate a soft landing. Dream Chaser is able to get a gentle trajectory during re-entry at less than 1.5 gravity, or in low-g, as the Dream Chaser re-enters the Earth's atmosphere. It encounters significant atmospheric drag. This drag slows the spacecraft down, causing it to experience forces that result in deceleration. The spacecraft's design and aerodynamic characteristics are carefully engineered to manage this deceleration safely. As a result, the forces acting upon the crew and payloads will undergo significant reduction, guaranteeing a smoother and more comfortable journey for all on board. This holds particular significance for delicate scientific experiments or sensitive cargo, necessitating meticulous handling and protection during the return journey to Earth. In contrast, CST-100 typically descends to the ground via parachute or, in emergency scenarios, lands on water. Ground landing entails touchdown on any terrain other than a designated runway, encompassing grass fields, dirt strips, water bodies for seaplanes, or other suitable surfaces. This mode of landing necessitates specialized training and procedures due to variable conditions and the absence of established infrastructure compared to traditional runways. Unlike Dragon, Dream Chaser doesn't utilize a splashdown method in the ocean. This capability allows for a more controlled and precise landing environment, minimizing the risks associated with ocean recovery operations. The ability to land on solid ground facilitates immediate access to the spacecraft and its cargo upon landing. In addition to the cargo version, Sierra Space also has plans for a second version of its Dream Chaser spaceplane, which will carry crew to low-Earth orbit destinations. Back in 2020, Steve Lindsey, a former NASA astronaut and current senior vice president of strategy for SNC Space Systems, said, we've never stopped working on the crewed version. There is interest in the crewed version, not necessarily NASA, but other customers. He added, yet the company still doesn't have a specific schedule for developing a crewed version. It makes sense because until now, their cargo version has yet to be flown. Last June, Sierra Space and NASA signed an unfunded Space Act agreement under the space agency's Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities II, CCSC-II, initiative. CCSC-II is part of NASA's effort to help foster commercial activities in Earth orbit, as the space agency prepares for the decommissioning of the International Space Station, ISS, in 2030. Sierra Space's CCSC-II agreement focuses primarily on the development of a crewed Dream Chaser and the Large Integrated Flexible Environment, LIFE, Pathfinder module. LIFE will be launched into orbit to test the module's inflatable technology. The CCSC-II agreement includes 33 milestones divided between the crewed Dream Chaser and LIFE Pathfinder programs. However, it's unclear when the crewed version will be introduced, because the company is still busy developing the second cargo space plane in its Dream Chaser fleet, Reverence. The first image of Reverence was revealed in 2022 with the tweet, and then there were two. And the second time was on March 11, 2024, saying, Dream Chaser Reverence is currently in production along with its Shooting Star cargo module at our Dream Factory in Colorado. This is the second space plane in our Dream Chaser fleet which will help carry cargo to the space station. Sierra Space has made it clear that there are many challenges in developing Reverence, from finding ways to increase payload capacity to revolutionizing launch processes. While it would take SpaceX 6 years only for Dragon version 1 and 5 years for version 2, including the crewed Dragon, the estimated time given for Tenacity to date is 8 years. With the current situation, it's not sure that Reverence will be operational in the next few years, not to mention the release of a crewed version. After a long and difficult time, Tenacity, Sierra Space's first Dream Chaser spacecraft, is finally set to launch for the first time in early 2025. Tenacity arrived at Florida's Kennedy Space Center on May 20. Eventually, the vessel will fly atop a United Launch Alliance ULA Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle. For its first mission, it will carry about 3,850 kilograms to the International Space Station. NASA has contracted with Sierra Space for seven cargo missions to the space station. In the meantime, Sierra Space is moving forward with its second cargo space plane, Reverence. Based on the limited amount of information, we know that Reverence has been in production, along with its Shooting Star cargo module, at the Dream Factory in Colorado. The manufacture of this vehicle presumably started a few years ago, as its first image was revealed in 2022 with the tweet, By then, Reverence's structure was seemingly completed at the basic level, and two years later, it added some new components, but not much. Dream Chaser, Reverence, is currently in production, along with its Shooting Star cargo module at our Dream Factory in Colorado. This is the second space plane in our Dream Chaser fleet, which will help carry cargo to the space station. The company itself didn't also deny many challenges in developing Reverence, from finding ways to increase payload capacity to revolutionizing launch processes. It is unclear whether the development of its first version, Tenacity, encountered similar obstacles because it took Tenacity over a decade to get to where it is today, compared to just six years for SpaceX's Dragon. As such, there are some concerns about Reverence's launch date, and whether its journey to the launch pad will be as difficult as Tenacity's. However, slowly but surely, at the very least, the Louisville-based company can make sure it prioritizes safety and reliability, instead of repeating NASA's old mistake, go fever. They perhaps want to spend more time for R&D on a new type of heat shield that will be used on the second Dream Chaser, promising to be more advanced and safer. On November 14, Sierra Space announced a groundbreaking new technology in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In their own words, the breakthrough development enables exterior spacecraft tiles that can withstand the high temperatures of re-entering Earth's atmosphere over multiple frequent missions. This new thermal protection system, TPS, was created to meet the needs of a commercial space industry that is moving at a faster pace than previous generations of spaceflight, and now requires more missions over shorter periods of time. The new technology is developed upon what they had learned from NASA's Space Shuttle program for more than three decades. In the past, exterior tiles used on the Space Shuttle were only needed for an average of five missions per year. The Shuttle also had a number of complications related to its heat shield. So, in the new era where the launch frequency is significantly increased, the heat protection designs for spacecraft must be stronger. Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spaceplane, for instance, is built for a minimum of 15 missions and is contracted with NASA for space station resupply missions with a nine-month reprocessing time. Sierra revealed that the TPS tiles are made of a proprietary composite material that's as strong as carbon fiber but with the added high-temperature stability of ceramic materials. The composite tiles have low-density thermal protection properties that are vital for insulative protection and stable flight dynamics. Atmospheric re-entry exposes spacecraft to speeds of more than Mach 17, about 13,000 miles per hour or 21,000 kilometers per hour, with temperatures reaching higher than 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit, 1,704 degrees Celsius. While not much information has leaked about this new design, we admit that the material change isn't the only step forward in comparison to the Shuttle. To put it simply, let's take a look at the current version TPS of Tenacity. Dream Chaser features around 2,000 tiles in total, equivalent to one-tenth of 20,000 on the Shuttle. Dream Chaser tiles are about 10 inches by 10 inches, while those on the Shuttle were 6 inches by 6 inches. Despite having a larger surface area, Dream Chaser tiles are lighter weight and surely stronger than those used during the Shuttle program and meet all micrometeoroid orbital debris requirements to ensure safe entry, descent, and runway landings for crewed or cargo missions. Also, Sierra Space is quoted saying, SNC engineers have been able to update the TPS tiles from what was used during NASA's Shuttle program with more innovation, better technology, and utilizing lessons learned. They use more modern manufacturing techniques to increase strength and reduce cost. Talking about the upgraded version, Sierra Space CEO Tom Weiss briefly described, Our patent-pending thermal protection system is like nothing ever before created and essential to a near future where space travel becomes routine. The reason for this short reveal is that Sierra Space and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have just completed the first development phase of the patent-pending TPS. Afterward, they will enter the next phase with more testing, which includes subjecting the tiles to testing at NASA's Arc Jet Plasma Facility, which simulates the conditions of re-entry to Earth from space with heated gas flow. The second phase also explores using advanced manufacturing techniques to lower the costs of TPS production. If it succeeds, we will likely witness this brand new design on Sierra Space's Dream Chaser moving forward, including the second Dream Chaser. Not only Sierra Space, but another company has also developed its TPS based on what they learned from the Space Shuttle program. It is SpaceX. The most notable thing is the similarities between Starship's heat shield and AETB, advanced environmental barrier, a material with a tufee coating, and the addition of molybdenum disilicide, which was crucial in the final years of the Space Shuttle program. Indeed, examining Starship's tiles shows the complex presence, potentially of silica, alumina borosilicate, and aluminum oxide fibers, aligning with AETB. In fact, Elon Musk has mentioned that the tiles are made from silicon and aluminum oxide. On the other hand, structurally, the Space Shuttle's heat shield tiles were known for their outer coating of tetrasilicide and borosilicate glass. Similarly, Starship's heat shield tiles have a distinctive black color. When you observe Starship during re-entry, you'll notice a beautiful blue glow of plasma surrounding it. This indicates that SpaceX likely uses a similar borosilicate coating, as borosilicate burns with a blue flame. Borosilicate is a type of glass containing boron trioxide, with a very low thermal expansion coefficient, meaning it's highly resistant to cracking or warping under sudden temperature changes, unlike regular glass. Nevertheless, according to SpaceX's CEO, the heat tiles on NASA's Space Shuttle are not actually a reusable orbital return heat shield in real meaning. With extreme effort, Starship will eventually take reusability to roughly 100%. There are many tough issues to solve with this vehicle, but the biggest remaining problem is making a reusable orbital return heat shield, which has never been done before. The Shuttle's heat shield required over six months of refurbishment by a large team, so it was not reusable by any reasonable definition of the word. Such a long time of refurbishment mainly stems from the Shuttle's complex shape, meaning that most of its 24,000 tiles were unique in size and shape, making production, quality control, and refurbishment a logistical nightmare. The orbiter's TPS wasn't a simple system, but a collection of heat-resistant materials, each carefully selected for specific areas of the spacecraft. For instance, reinforced carbon-carbon, RCC, could withstand re-entry temperatures up to 1,260 degrees Celsius, protecting the nose and leading edges. High-temperature reusable surface insulation, HRSI, tiles, made from Li-900 silica ceramics with a heat-resistant coating, were used on the underside where temperatures were lower. Felt reusable surface insulation, FRSI, provided protection for areas with temperatures below 371 degrees Celsius. In the past, the Space Shuttle's thermal protection system posed a significant challenge in terms of time and effort. With over 24,000 tiles, each varying in size by about 15 centimeters in length and between 2.5 to 12.7 centimeters in thickness, finding or producing an exact replacement tile for each specific area was incredibly time-consuming. NASA reported that just maintaining the TPS in the Orbiter Processing Facility, OPF, required up to 80,000 labor hours between flights, including QA inspections, repairs, re-waterproofing, and re-certifying for flight. In contrast, Starship's TPS aims for a very optimistic turnaround time of about one hour and doesn't require such extensive labor. Starship's hull tiles are designed with nearly uniform size and thickness across the entire spacecraft. Only about over 100 tiles have unique shapes for specific areas like the nose and corners. While this might slightly increase the spacecraft's overall weight, it offers significant benefits in production, maintenance, and repair. This uniformity allows for thorough automation in manufacturing and quality control processes, resulting in simplified construction, shortened production times, significantly reduced costs, and higher reliability. This design also offers a strategic advantage for Mars exploration missions. The crew can carry spare tiles, allowing them to quickly and efficiently replace any damaged ones. This repair capability ensures the spacecraft's integrity for the journey back to Earth, significantly enhancing mission safety and success. This is a prime example of how simple design can yield enormous benefits in space exploration, embodying the philosophy of less complexity, more efficiency, in modern aerospace engineering. Moreover, from Starship's Flight 5 onwards, SpaceX has focused more on upgrading the quality of Starship's heat tiles. Indeed, the company developed a new tile of heat shield that is twice as strong, or hopefully half as likely to crack or come off. They also added the ablative layers beneath the primary tiles as an insurance policy. These secondary tiles are made from silicone, and felt meaning they self-cool by slowly disintegrating to expel heat. Some specifics on the ablative material SpaceX plans to use have not been made public. However, Elon Musk has said that this material is not good for reuse, but keeps the ship and its inhabitants safe in case the tiles fall off during or before re-entry. Fast forward to Flight 6, SpaceX continues to push even further with new secondary thermal protection materials, and this signs a non-stop evolution in Starbrick's development. In the future, Musk has an even more ambitious plan to build an entirely new supply chain for low-cost, high-volume, and yet high-reliability heat shield tiles. In conclusion, it's so great to see the firms belonging to the new space have tirelessly been working to foster the development of commercial space. Besides innovation, they are also clever in learning from the achievements of the old space. This promises to create a big bang in rocketry in the next years. And that just about wraps it up for today's episode. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you next time.