Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane has been removed from ULA’s 2nd Vulcan Centaur launch manifest due to scheduling delays. ULA CEO Tory Bruno stated that Sierra informed them of the “significant risk” in meeting the September launch date and voluntarily stepped aside to allow ULA to proceed with certification with the Department of Defense (DOD). This launch is crucial for ULA as it is the final step before the new rocket can be certified for national security missions.
Along with an inert payload, ULA plans to launch technology experiments and demonstrations during this mission. The company also has two more Vulcan missions planned before the end of the year, both of which are national security missions contracted with the DOD.
Sierra Space, in a separate statement, confirmed that its first Dream Chaser spaceplane, named Tenacity, is still on track for its maiden mission by the end of the year. Tenacity, along with its Shooting Star cargo module, has completed environmental testing and is undergoing final testing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Unlike SpaceX’s Dragon or Boeing’s Starliner, the 30-foot-long Dream Chaser is designed to land horizontally on a runway, similar to NASA’s retired space shuttle. It is intended for cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. However, its development has faced significant delays since being awarded the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS-2) contract in 2016. The first mission under this contract will deliver 7,800 pounds of cargo to the ISS before returning to Florida for inspection, refurbishment, and reuse.
In addition to its ongoing projects, Sierra Space has ambitions beyond the Dream Chaser cargo resupply missions. The company is actively working on a crewed version of the Dream Chaser spaceplane and has plans for an inflatable habitat module that could function as a private space station in low Earth orbit. To support these endeavors, Sierra Space has successfully raised $1.7 billion in funding so far, demonstrating its commitment to scaling its space initiatives.