SNC Dream Chaser Cargo System (updates)

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

1) first 2 ISS missions on Atlas V 552 (5 meter fairing, 5 boosters (!!), and a Dual-Engine Centaur (DEC) upper stage. A very pricey ride.

 

2) UN science mission

3) captive carry and glide test flights begin soon at NASA Draper, but scheduling a chopper is at the whim of the wildfire season gods.  

 

4) Paragon SDC partnership

 

Quote

Paragon Named by Sierra Nevada Corp Supplier for Dream Chaser

Press Release From: Paragon Space Development Corporation
Posted: Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Paragon was recently selected by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to provide flight hardware for its Dream Chaser spacecraft. In 2016, NASA selected SNC’s Dream Chaser to transport pressurized and unpressurized cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS) with return and disposal services.

Paragon will provide the Thermal Control Radiators for the vehicle’s cargo module. The solution will leverage Paragon’s patented Extruded Radiator (xRAD™) technology, a state-of-the-art, cost-effective radiator solution which eliminates the structural and thermal inefficiencies associated with bonded radiators structures.  The xRAD™ technology also increases vehicle integration flexibility and reduces development time, manufacturing risks, and manufacturing costs.  Delivery of flight radiators is to commence in early 2019 with deliveries through 2022.  As a part of the disposable cargo module, the radiators will burn up during reentry at the end of each mission. 

“Paragon’s offering was a result of years of Paragon’s directed internal R&D funding that brought the technique and practical application out of the laboratory and onto the factory floor to benefit our customers that are needing better-value radiator solutions,” said Grant Anderson, President & CEO of Paragon.  “This multi-unit and multi-mission order will be just the beginning of a decades-long relationship to provide high quality and competitively priced radiator hardware to Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser family of vehicles.” 

Earlier this year, SNC successfully passed the third integration milestone for the Dream Chaser under the NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS2) program, confirming that the company’s Dream Chaser vehicle can meet NASA requirements for transporting cargo to and from the space station. The reliability of the Dream Chaser design was also thoroughly reviewed as part of NASA’s Phase I Safety Review Process, which successfully demonstrated safety and mission assurance criteria. The reviews covered all stages of mission operations including ground, launch, flight, and landing.

“SNC is pleased to be working with Paragon on the Dream Chaser program,” said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president of SNC’s Space Systems business area. “Their radiator technology is a key component in SNC’s ability to deliver a safe, affordable, flexible and reliable system.”

For other news on Paragon, please visit www.paragonsdc.com. For more information on the Dream Chaser program, please visit: www.sncorp.com

 

Edited July 22, 2017 by DocM

[BetaguyGZT]

Hmm. Interesting that they're still booking Atlas launches for 2021-2022 unless they're keeping that line going as a light-duty launcher. Weren't they supposed to be on the BE-4 and a new platform by then?

[Beittil]

Atlas family is scheduled to stay in production/use until at least 2023. Possibly longer.

[DocM]

I don't see Atlas V lasting very long after more affordable, and more powerful, commercial launchers become certified. Vulcan alone could kill it, but there are bigger fish coming by decades end and Delta IV Heavy is only contracted to 2023.

 

[DocM]

Atlas V 552 = $$$$$$

 

https://www.universetoday.com/136511/dream-chaser-mini-shuttle-fly-iss-resupply-missions-ula-atlas-v/

 

The first two missions of the unmanned Dream Chaser mini-shuttle carrying critical cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA will fly on the most powerful version of the Atlas V rocket and start as soon as 2020, announced Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and United Launch Alliance (ULA).

We have selected United Launch Alliances Atlas V rocket to launch our first two Dream Chaser® spacecraft cargo missions, said SNC of Sparks, Nevada.

Dream Chaser will launch atop the commercial Atlas V in its most powerful configuration, dubbed Atlas V 552, with five strap on solid rocket motors and a dual engine Centaur upper stage while protectively tucked inside a five meter diameter payload fairing  with wings folded.

Blast off of Dream Chaser loaded with over 5500 kilograms of cargo mass for the space station crews will take place from ULAs seaside Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
>

 

 

[DocM]

Still working on the Crew DC system too,

 

Quote

 

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser® Spacecraft has
Successful Captive Carry Test 

 

SPARKS, Nev. (August 30, 2017) — Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser engineering test article passed a successful Captive Carry test at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center on Wednesday as part of the Phase Two flight test efforts to advance Dream Chaser progress toward orbital flight.

 

“We are very pleased with results from the Captive Carry test, and everything we have seen points to a successful test with useful data for the next round of testing,” said Lee “Bru” Archambault, SNC’s director of flight operations for the Dream Chaser program.

 

These activities are being conducted through a Space Act Agreement with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), although the Phase Two flight tests will also be highly supportive of, and executed in parallel with continued work being done by SNC under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract. The Dream Chaser test vehicle has been upgraded to include several components being integrated into the Dream Chaser Cargo System design, allowing Phase Two tests to act as a bridge between previous work with CCP and the next-generation vehicle currently under development for cargo resupply missions.

 

During Captive Carry test #1, a Columbia Helicopters Model 234-UT Chinook helicopter successfully carried the Dream Chaser to the same altitude and flight conditions Dream Chaser experiences before release on a Free Flight test. 

 

The SNC Mission Control Center team sent commands to Dream Chaser, monitored performance and collected critical test data designed to allow the team to refine Dream Chaser systems for peak performance on the actual Free Flight test day. 

 

The Captive Carry test obtained data, evaluated systems such as radar altimeters, flush air data system, air data probes, navigation system, as well as overall system performance in a flight environment.

 

Successful data analysis, flight crew and flight control team proficiency, are critical ingredients needed for Certification of Flight Readiness.   All technical info from the Captive Carry flight tests will be evaluated by the SNC engineering team and shared with NASA counterparts.

 

This Captive Carry test is one of two scheduled for 2017.  Another Captive Carry test, designated Captive Carry #2, will incorporate fine tuning needs or lessons learned from today’s test flight.  A fully successful Captive Carry #2 test, once completed, clears the way for the Dream Chaser Free Flight test.

 

“This test is another indication the Dream Chaser is on track for meeting our key milestones on the way to orbital spaceflight.  We are excited to move through the remaining ground and flight testing to help inform our CRS2 orbital vehicle design and upcoming production,” said Steve Lindsey, vice president of Space Exploration Systems for SNC.

 

The Free Flight test is scheduled for later this year.

 

 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

YAY!!!!

 

 

[DocM]

 

"In the future we believe Dream Chaser will land anywhere a 737 jet can land." 

 

"In the future we believe Dream Chaser will land anywhere a 737 jet can land." 

Quote

Dream Chaser® Spacecraft Free-Flight Test Data Sheet:

 

Date: Saturday, November 11th 2017
Lift-off time: 8:30 am PT
Release time: 09:41 am PT
Release altitude: 12,324 feet, mean sea level
Release equivalent air speed: 66 miles per hour
Release angle of attack: -2.17 degrees
Release angle of sideslip: -0.76 degrees
Maximum speed: 330 miles per hour
Maximum angle of attack in flight: 16.5 degrees
Dream Chaser time in glide: approx. 60 seconds
Dream Chaser horizontal glide distance: 16,217 feet
Dream Chaser touch down time: 09:42 am PT
Landing speed: 191 miles per hour
Landing touchdown point: 1,250 feet down runway
Landing rollout distance: 4,200 feet
Helicopter type: Columbia Helicopters Model 234-UT Chinook
Length of helicopter suspension system: 200 feet
Runway: Edwards Air Force Base Runway 22 Left
Vehicle length: 30 feet long

 

Edited November 14, 2017 by DocM

[DocM]

 

 

[DocM]

A drone fly around, and fly under, of the Dream Chaser which includes some interesting close-ups of the nose skid.

 

 

 

[flyingskippy]

Any idea what is inside the bubbles just behind the flight deck windows? They are on both sides and there is an opening on the backside. Looks like they have triple redundant GPS receivers. Those are the white holes in the nose. Two on the right side and one on the left. 

[DocM]

Perhaps antennas for the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). It's a network of S, Ka and Ku band communications satellites used by DoD and NASA. Ground stations at Guam, White Sands and Goddard (in Maryland.) Used by  ISS, commercial cargo & crew, US orbital spacecraft etc.

 

Here's a crop of that area, minus the blister cover (which itself could house a small phased array.)

 

Edited November 19, 2017 by DocM

[Jim K Global Moderator]

....forward attachment points for the drop test.

 

[DocM]

Fun to see they still have fuzzy dice in the cockpit.

 

[flyingskippy]

I was hoping for a shot of the business end even though it is a test bed. 

[DocM]

Their original engines (2) were to be similar to the SpaceshipTwo hybrid rockets. When SNC bought ORBITEC there were 3 major techs the latter was working on; 

 

1) green propellants thrusters. Assumed to be on DC.

 

2) the VEGGIE space vegetable growing system. Flew to ISS.

 

3) a Vortex-flow liquid rocket engine. Cryo LOX is injected around the periphery of an aluminum combustion chamber and fuel at the top forming counter-rotating vortexes The cold outer vortex protects the chamber from the combustion which occurs in the center vortex. 

 

A Vortex engine has flown on ORBITEC test rockets, and been worked on by Drexel, but it's unknown if it is used on DC. 

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2017 by DocM

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

SNC is looking at post-Atlas V rides for Dream Chaser...

 

http://spacenews.com/sierra-nevada-weighing-options-for-launching-future-dream-chaser-missions/

 

>
SNC announced a contract with ULA in July 2017 that covered two Dream Chaser launches, in 2020 and 2021. Both would use the Atlas 5 552, the largest version of the Atlas 5 with a five-meter payload fairing, five solid rocket boosters and a dual-engine Centaur upper stage.

However, Sirangelo said the company was looking at other options for launching the second and later Dream Chaser ISS cargo missions. "It's a quite interesting time in the launch business, where we see all the major launch companies coming out with a new launch system," he said. "We are looking at all of the launch systems."

Sirangelo said later that the company issued a request for proposals for multiple Dream Chaser launches. "We'll probably be making a decision by the end of this year, he said. "We've gotten tremendous response for it." He declined to discuss specific vehicles under consideration but said SNC received really great response from all the major providers.

He noted that there are no requirements under its NASA contract that require those cargo missions to fly on U.S. vehicles, citing NASAs use of European and Japanese cargo vehicles to resupply the ISS. "We think it's certainly feasible," he said, adding that there was interest in launching Dream Chaser on vehicles outside the U.S.

"The Dream Chaser cargo vehicle is currently going through its critical design review (CDR)," said Steve Lindsey, vice president at SNC Space Exploration Systems. "That review should be completed by July."

"Production of the first vehicle will soon start, even as the CDR is still being finalized. The first parts of our primary structure are arriving next month," he said. "We're marching along really well with that."
>

[DocM]

 

[DocM]

Still developing the crew version, with hints of a lunar trajectory heat shield.

 

Maiden launch on Atlas 5: 2020.

 

Later launchers for Commercial Cargo Round 2: TBD.

 

 

 

[DocM]