Dream Chaser

Sierra Space says Merck is its first commercial rideshare partner for the inaugural flight of the Dream Chaser spaceplane on a NASA mission later this year.

New spins on NASA-developed heat shield technologies paved the way for an era of reusable space vehicles.

The award follows the completion of tests of the fully integrated VR35K-A propulsion system.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane has completed a series of payload integration tests at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida which keep it on track for a planned mission to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) later this year.

The TPS comprises a composite material that combines the strength of carbon fiber with the high-temperature stability of ceramics.

ULA is preparing for the second flight of its new Vulcan-Centaur rocket, a mission needed to complete certification ahead of service for the U.S. military.

Cert-2, slated to launch between 6-9 a.m. EDT Oct. 4, follows Vulcan’s Jan. 8 inaugural Cert-1 flight.

The newly expanded consortium will also explore opportunities for the Dream Chaser in Japan and across the Asian continent.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The mission, known as Certification-2 (Cert-2), follows Vulcan’s successful debut on the Cert-1 flight in January.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The company has requested an early September launch for Tenacity aboard ULA’s second Vulcan rocket.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane has been inducted into the NASA Armstrong In-Space Propulsion facility in Ohio in readiness for thermal vacuum testing.

NASA has offered a preview of Sierra Space’s reusable Dream Chaser resupply demonstration mission to the International Space Station planned for 2024.

Sierra Space has laid off 165 full-time employees in addition to contractors after it shipped the company’s first Dream Chaser spaceplane for prelaunch tests.

After four years of assembly and decades of study and planning, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane is ready for prelaunch environmental testing.

Sierra Space is poised to deliver the first Dream Chaser spaceplane from its site near Denver to NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is targeting Dec. 24 for the first launch of its Vulcan-Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral SFS.

A second Great Observatory catches the eye of the fledgling in-space services industry.

The first Dream Chaser, DC-101 Tenacity, is set to launch on the second flight of the Vulcan Centaur.