Space Zoo Patrol – Space Plane

By Jeff Babione, COO, Sierra Space 

1. What is the name of the technology? 

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® is the world’s only winged commercial spaceplane and the next generation of space transportation.

2. What does it do?

Dream Chaser is under a commercial contract with NASA for a minimum of seven cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station starting in 2023. The spaceplane carries supplies to the space station and then returns critical items – such as sensitive scientific experiments – gently back to Earth on a runway. The Shooting Star cargo module, attached to the aft of Dream Chaser, offers disposal services for NASA as well. Sierra Space is also starting to develop a crewed version of the spaceplane, which will transport astronauts to commercial space destinations by the end of the decade. The company is teaming up with Blue Origin to build the very first commercial space station, called Orbital Reef.

3. How does it work?

Dream Chaser is approximately one quarter the length of the space shuttle and fits inside a standard rocket fairing. The spaceplane launches on top of a heavy lift rocket to low-Earth orbit where it berths with the International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts on board the station offload up to 12,000 lbs. of supplies and other cargo, and then reload both Dream Chaser and its companion cargo module, Shooting Star, with materials for either disposal or Earth-return. Shooting Star is the disposal component, and the module is jettisoned by Dream Chaser upon reentry, burning up in the planet’s atmosphere. Dream Chaser continues its journey home, landing on any compatible commercial runway in the world. A gentle, 1.5G landing ensures that critical items such as sensitive scientific experiments are protected and offloaded quickly.

4. How is it better than the older technology?

Dream Chaser is the first-ever winged commercial spaceplane. It is compatible with a wide array of current and future launch vehicles and can hitch a ride to space on virtually any heavy lift rocket in the world. The spaceplane is capable of gentle 1.5G runway landings, ideal for precious cargo, especially human passengers. The runway landing is a key differentiator for Sierra Space, as other commercial space companies are still using capsules that splash down in the ocean or land in the desert. Dream Chaser can land on any compatible commercial runway in the world, essentially wherever a Boeing 737 jetliner can land. Unlike capsules, crew and cargo can be transported point-to-point anywhere on Earth and be offloaded from the spaceplane within minutes of landing.

5. What classes should I take in school to work on this?

Some dreams are worth chasing. At Sierra Space, we believe in a future where all people can choose to live, work, and explore beyond Earth. If you are ready to help humanity take its next great leap into space, we are seeking the most ingenious ideas and innovative ways of doing things regardless of origin and educational background.

6. Pictures

7. Links

            www.SierraSpace.com