Sierra Space has announced a strategic partnership with Spirit AeroSystems. Its goal is to manufacture cargo modules for Dream Chaser spaceplanes.
The Dream Chaser spaceplane is an unmanned vehicle designed to supply the ISS. It consists of two main parts: an orbital aircraft equipped with thermal protection and a Shooting Star cargo compartment. The production of the last one will be taken over by Spirit AeroSystems.
Shooting Star will be able to carry up to 4,500 kg of cargo (both in sealed and non-sealed versions) and will be equipped with solar panels and engines. Upon returning to Earth, the compartment will detach from the Dream Chaser and burn up in the atmosphere, while the spaceplane will land at the airfield and then be reused.
It is known that Sierra Space independently built the first copy of the Shooting Star compartment. However, after conducting an economic analysis, the company’s management decided to join forces with Spirit AeroSystems to reduce costs and increase production speed.
At the moment, the first launch of Dream Chaser is scheduled for early 2023. A Vulcan rocket will be used to launch the spacecraft into orbit. In total, Sierra Space has a contract for seven ISS supply missions.
Recall that recently Sierra Space began to explore the possibility of organizing a Dream Chaser landing in Japan.
According to https://spacenews.com
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