Spaceflight Now reports, “Sierra Space is getting one step closer to finally seeing its Dream Chaser spaceplane reach the launch pad. The spacecraft completed its environmental testing at NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility last week … Sierra Space is now preparing to load up Dream Chaser and Shooting Star for shipment down to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Once it arrives, teams will finish adding the thermal protection tiles and perform additional checkouts, like acoustic testing.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Tag: Preparations
Finish Line for Dream Chaser Now in Sight
Ars Techica reports, “There is still some work to do to prepare Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane for its first mission, but the company says the winged resupply craft for the ISS will soon ship to its launch site in Florida. The Dream Chaser will take off on top of a ULA Vulcan rocket to head for the space station. A spokesperson for Sierra Space told Ars the spaceplane’s launch is scheduled for the third or fourth quarter of this year.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Artemis II Launch Coming Together
The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reports that the reigning title holder “for world’s most powerful rocket saw action on both its center core and its two solid rocket boosters this month, with pieces for the Artemis II launch coming together as NASA aims to send humans on a trip around the moon next year.” Arriving by train to Florida on Monday “were all 10 segments for the two side boosters of the Space Launch System rocket that will launch the Orion spacecraft with four humans on board from Kennedy Space Center as early as November 2024.” The booster’s core stage “remains in New Orleans, but teams last week installed the last of four converted space shuttle engines to the base of the stage.” The Boeing Company is the core stage’s primary contractor, and still “has more work to do before it can be shipped by barge from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility to KSC, currently on track for a November arrival, but the tail end finally got the last of its four R2-25 engines stuck in place.” Aerojet Rocketdyne, which “was recently acquired by Melbourne-based L3Harris, manufactured all four engines that were originally designed for the Space Shuttle Program, but have since been converted for use on the SLS.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel)
Next SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch Could Happen as Soon as Next Week
The Orlando Sentinel reports that for sheer rocket entertainment, “space fans can get excited whenever SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy launches, and that next opportunity could come next week.” Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex “posted to its website an event to view the previously announced USSF-67 mission for the Space Force using the rocket that produces 5.1 million pounds of thrust on liftoff, launching from KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A.” The attraction offers “one of the closest locations to view the launch through an extra-cost package admission, and the listing targets no earlier than Thursday, Jan. 12, although neither SpaceX or the Space Force have yet to announce a target date or time beyond the intention to fly in January.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel – Subscription Publication)
SpaceX Working to Upgrade Cape Canaveral Launch Pad
Space News reports that while SpaceX is preparing to launch the Crew-5 mission with NASA, the company is “also starting work to host cargo and crew launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.” SpaceX VP for Build and Flight Reliability Bill Gerstenmaier said, “We’ve already started the work to begin the preparations for pad 40. We’ve ordered some hardware, put some contracts into place.” Space News adds, “The effort to build up a crew and cargo capability at SLC-40 is driven by SpaceX’s work to host Starship launches at LC-39A. With that vehicle yet to make its first orbital launch attempt, NASA raised concerns that a Starship launch failure at LC-39A could damage the existing launch infrastructure there and affect NASA’s ability to send cargo and crews to the ISS.”
Full Story (Space News)