Sierra Space has signed contracts with undisclosed national security and commercial customers to carry payloads on the inaugural flight of its Dream Chaser spaceplane. The reusable, uncrewed spacecraft is designed to land on a runway like an airplane and will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida before landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Originally contracted for a NASA resupply mission to the International Space Station under a 2016 agreement, the debut flight schedule was revised following propulsion system delays. Under updated arrangements with NASA, the initial flight will operate as an independent free flyer to perform multiday orbital operations before the agency commits to resupply missions. The mission will combine national security, commercial, and civil payloads, including NASA cargo, on a single spacecraft, stated in an official Sierra Space press release.
Dream Chaser features deployable wings that unfold after launch, hypersonic flight control, autonomous reentry, and a low-g runway landing capability. The spacecraft, named Tenacity, is designed to be reused up to 15 times and will launch on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket, marking the first orbital flight of a winged spacecraft since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Sierra Space has completed environmental testing, command and telemetry validation, and recovery rehearsals, though a definitive launch date and full payload manifest remain undisclosed.
