A Real-Life "Star Wars"-Style Spacecraft Is Preparing for Launch

Victor Tangermann

3 June 2024 at 11:13 am·2-min read

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Space company Sierra Space's Dream Chaser space plane is like no other: its retractable wings and sleek Space Shuttle-like fuselage make it look like it was yanked straight out of a "Star Wars" movie.

It might sound implausible, but it's almost ready to roar into action. The intriguing spacecraft arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center last week in preparation for its maiden voyage to the International Space Station in September, having completed "rigorous environmental testing" at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio.

And while its first launch is designed to test its cargo capabilities, the company is already looking to launch human astronauts on board as well.

"Oh, it’s a possibility I might be flying, it’s a possibility you could be a passenger as well," retired NASA astronaut and Sierra Space chief medical officer Tom Marshburn told NBC 6 South Florida.

https://twitter.com/SierraSpaceCo/status/1796280204719218918

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But before Tenacity, the first in Sierra Space's Dream Chaser fleet, can embark on its first-ever mission — a project that was first announced almost 20 years ago — Sierra Space still has its work cut out for it. Now at the Kennedy Space Center, the spacecraft will still have to go through a litany of tests and eventually be attached to the launcher of the United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, which will hoist it into space.

Dream Chaser is under contract with NASA to fly seven cargo missions to the ISS, a renewable alternative to SpaceX's Dragon cargo shuttle that can glide back through the atmosphere to land on any runway that's at least 10,000 feet in length, instead of relying on giant parachutes to make its uncontrolled descent.

In fact, it's the first private spaceplane ever built, though building on an extensive legacy of US and Soviet spaceplanes.

The unusual spacecraft is still being outfitted with heat tiles designed to protect it during its reentry through the Earth's atmosphere, and will need to be attached to its expendable cargo module, dubbed "Shooting Star."

And, as Ars Technica reports, it's still unclear how long all of this hands-on work will take and whether Sierra Space will meet its already ambitious September deadline. But we can't wait to see it in action.

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