united launch alliance
The long-awaited debut of the winged spaceplane will have to wait a little longer. This week, NASA updated its internal schedule to show that Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spacecraft will dock with the International Space Station by December 17, 2023.
Previously, Sierra Space had publicly targeted the Dream Chaser launch in August, aboard United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket.
In a statement to Ars, Sierra Space acknowledged the delay. “Sierra Space’s plan is to complete the first launch of Dream Chaser by the end of the fourth quarter of this year,” the company said.
The delay raises mild concern for NASA as it means that starting this summer the US segment of the space station will rely solely on Falcon 9 rockets for cargo delivery missions. That’s because, in addition to carrying SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon to the station, Cygnus, which carries cargo for Northrop Grumman, will begin launching later this year on Falcon 9.
Northrop had to find a replacement rocket for the Cygnus as the Antares 230+’s Russian engines were no longer available as a result of the Ukraine War. The Falcon 9 is the only rocket available in the United States and it will take years to develop a replacement rocket. So until the Dream Chaser takes flight over the Vulcan, if NASA astronauts want to eat, they’ll have to DoorDash in the Falcon 9.
Vulcan requires a payload
The big issue with Dream Chaser’s latest (and probably not final) delay is the downstream impact on the long-awaited Vulcan rocket’s launch manifest.
This is what we know for sure. United Launch Alliance intends to fly two “certified” missions on its large rockets, so it can complete the U.S. Space Force paperwork and begin launching missions in the military’s favor. It had been planning to do so since last year, but Space Force officials began to come under tremendous pressure to do so. The US military is the United Launch Alliance’s most important customer.
The nominal plan for these certified launches would require the Astrobotic Lunar Module to be flown on the ‘Cert. 1’ mission in May and the Dream Chaser on ‘Cert. 2’ in August. In a conference call with reporters about a month ago, United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno said the schedule would allow the Vulcan to be certified and fly its first national security mission “at the end of the year, in the fourth quarter.” claimed to be able to
But under this nominal plan, if Astrobotic is scheduled to fly in May and Dream Chaser is not scheduled to fly in December, there will be no chance of flying a national security mission in 2023. It will take at least several months for the government to analyze the data and declare the Vulcan suitable for high-value, high-performance missions.
United Launch Alliance spokesperson Jessica Lai said the company remains committed to flying a national security mission in 2023.
“Throughout our history and as part of our culture, we have always focused on our customer’s mission above all else. “We will be as flexible as possible until Sierra Space is ready to fly. and is committed to successfully completing U.S. Space Force certification Vulcan’s
So what actually happens?
A reasonable guess is that the Cert. 1 mission, currently scheduled for May 4th, will be postponed to just six weeks from now. According to a source, Astrobotic has completed engine testing on its Peregrine lunar lander and the vehicle is nearly ready. Thus, Vulcan’s debut launch pacing his item looks more like the rocket itself, rather than the payload.
The United Launch Alliance has been testing the rocket’s propellant loading in recent weeks, prior to wet dress rehearsals and static burn tests. bruno said Although the first stage performed well in these tests, it was suggested that there may have been slight problems with the Centaur’s upper stage and ground systems. “There were some learnings specific to the ground system. We’re adjusting some procedures and software to get everything in order for (wet dress rehearsal).”
Given the work remaining to complete the preparations for the certificate. 1 mission, the first launch could be pushed back this summer, possibly in July or August. The United Launch Alliance can be expected to confidently set a launch date after a static launch test, which it calls “flight preparatory fire.”
Company spokesman Rye told Cert: The two missions will fly “just a few months” after the first Vulcan mission. This probably means his fourth quarter of 2023. If Dream Chaser is ready, it could make his second flight in December. Further delays in spacecraft development could lead United Launch Alliance to actually launch mass simulators.
What seems highly unlikely is that Vulcan will complete two certification flights this summer and fall, allowing it to begin a national security mission before the end of the year.
