Sierra Space Dream Chaser DISCUSSION Thread (was SNC)

[JAFO]

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/11/dream-chaser-milestones-future/
The pic gave me hope,



this made me sad....

A second Dream Chaser vehicle, Reverence, was seen being built when NSF was granted access to the company’s facilities in 2023. The company now says its future is questionable.
“Dream Chaser Reverence production is on hold as our team focuses on Dream Chaser Tenacity’s first mission and test flow would depend on any future customer requirements,” Sierra Space said.https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/11/dream-chaser-milestones-future/

But as long as she's not outside ala the X-34s, there is still a chance.

[StraumliBlight]

[11:50] KSC has concerns about the SLF runway being damaged, so Dream Chaser won't land there on first flight.
[13:10] DC will ship to Colorado for national security modifications after acoustic testing completes, which may cause NET Q4 2026 launch date to be delayed into 2027.
[14:40] FAA has concerns about DC re-entering over continental US, hence using VSFB runway.

NOTE: AngryAstronaut's youtube is mostly fiction (UFOs/3I Atlas) so... caveat emptor.

[vt_hokie]

[13:10] DC will ship to Colorado for national security modifications after acoustic testing completes, which may cause NET Q4 2026 launch date to be delayed into 2027.

Oh for crying out loud, I give up on this one. If it ever gets to orbit at this point I'll be surprised, but it doesn't sound like it'll ever be visiting ISS on subsequent flights.

[JAFO]

[11:50] KSC has concerns about the SLF runway being damaged, so Dream Chaser won't land there on first flight.
[13:10] DC will ship to Colorado for national security modifications after acoustic testing completes, which may cause NET Q4 2026 launch date to be delayed into 2027.
[14:40] FAA has concerns about DC re-entering over continental US, hence using VSFB runway.

NOTE: AngryAstronaut's youtube is mostly fiction (UFOs/3I Atlas) so... caveat emptor.

I can see why they'd want to land at Vandy after Columbia, but not because of potential runway damage.
Citation needed for the comment about being shipped back to Colorado. First I've heard of it. 

[StraumliBlight]

I can see why they'd want to land at Vandy after Columbia, but not because of potential runway damage.
Citation needed for the comment about being shipped back to Colorado. First I've heard of it.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes Critical Pre-flight Milestones [Nov 13]

With these critical milestones achieved, we expect Dream Chaser to move to its final round of acoustic testing in December 2025. Following this, modifications for national security applications will be explored and performed in Colorado. These enhancements will aim to expand Dream Chaser’s versatility and demonstrate its ability to fulfill a wide array of mission requirements, including those essential to national defense.

[catdlr]

I can see why they'd want to land at Vandy after Columbia, but not because of potential runway damage.
Citation needed for the comment about being shipped back to Colorado. First I've heard of it.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes Critical Pre-flight Milestones [Nov 13]

With these critical milestones achieved, we expect Dream Chaser to move to its final round of acoustic testing in December 2025. Following this, modifications for national security applications will be explored and performed in Colorado. These enhancements will aim to expand Dream Chaser’s versatility and demonstrate its ability to fulfill a wide array of mission requirements, including those essential to national defense.

So are they saying that this ship is undergoing modification to join the XB37 fleet, maybe not the same, but to complement them for national defense purposes? Perhaps it shall have a new life.

[vt_hokie]

And will these mods preclude it from visiting ISS to perform its original mission?

[mn]

And will these mods preclude it from visiting ISS to perform its original mission?

Yes, because at the rate they are progressing, by the time they are ready there will not be a iss to go to.

[sstli2]

I can see why they'd want to land at Vandy after Columbia, but not because of potential runway damage.
Citation needed for the comment about being shipped back to Colorado. First I've heard of it.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes Critical Pre-flight Milestones [Nov 13]

With these critical milestones achieved, we expect Dream Chaser to move to its final round of acoustic testing in December 2025. Following this, modifications for national security applications will be explored and performed in Colorado. These enhancements will aim to expand Dream Chaser’s versatility and demonstrate its ability to fulfill a wide array of mission requirements, including those essential to national defense.

So are they saying that this ship is undergoing modification to join the XB37 fleet, maybe not the same, but to complement them for national defense purposes? Perhaps it shall have a new life.

That would be great news and a much more robust business case than ISS cargo.

One thing that surprises me here - Dream Chaser primarily has pressurized cargo space, and I believe all X-37B cargo is unpressurized. Does the Space Force actually have a use for pressurized cargo?

[JAFO]

I can see why they'd want to land at Vandy after Columbia, but not because of potential runway damage.
Citation needed for the comment about being shipped back to Colorado. First I've heard of it.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes Critical Pre-flight Milestones [Nov 13]

With these critical milestones achieved, we expect Dream Chaser to move to its final round of acoustic testing in December 2025. Following this, modifications for national security applications will be explored and performed in Colorado. These enhancements will aim to expand Dream Chaser’s versatility and demonstrate its ability to fulfill a wide array of mission requirements, including those essential to national defense.

So are they saying that this ship is undergoing modification to join the XB37 fleet, maybe not the same, but to complement them for national defense purposes? Perhaps it shall have a new life.

That would be great news and a much more robust business case than ISS cargo.

One thing that surprises me here - Dream Chaser primarily has pressurized cargo space, and I believe all X-37B cargo is unpressurized. Does the Space Force actually have a use for pressurized cargo?

 I've always thought that it was a waste having the X-37 operational while Dream Chaser was struggling, but I'm not sure if there is much/any commonality between the two that SNC would benefit by it. Aerodynamics are completely different, so is the propulsion.


Maybe the Space Force is looking at reviving the crewed Dream Chaser?

(I'll save Jim the trouble: "No."       )

[Jim]

That would be great news and a much more robust business case than ISS cargo.

not true.  if so, there would be both X-37s on orbit at the same time.

[woods170]

I can see why they'd want to land at Vandy after Columbia, but not because of potential runway damage.
Citation needed for the comment about being shipped back to Colorado. First I've heard of it.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes Critical Pre-flight Milestones [Nov 13]

With these critical milestones achieved, we expect Dream Chaser to move to its final round of acoustic testing in December 2025. Following this, modifications for national security applications will be explored and performed in Colorado. These enhancements will aim to expand Dream Chaser’s versatility and demonstrate its ability to fulfill a wide array of mission requirements, including those essential to national defense.

Reading between the lines it becomes even more clear that the chances of Dream Chaser ever delivering cargo to the ISS are rapidly diminishing:
- The revamped CRS-2 contract no longer holds assured cargo delivery missions. Only the free flyer demo mission is guaranteed.
- The vehicle returning to Colorado to add national security capabilities to Dream Chaser, will add further delay before the free flyer mission is actually flown.
- All the while the ISS clock is ticking and NASA needs commitments for flying cargo.

So, I expect Dream Chaser to mostly pivot away from ISS duty after the free flyer demonstration mission is complete (probably sometime late 2026/ early 2027). To compensate for the "loss" of Dream Chaser capabilities both Cygnus and Crew Dragon will likely be assigned one or two additional cargo missions each by NASA, IMO.

[StraumliBlight]

Reading between the lines it becomes even more clear that the chances of Dream Chaser ever delivering cargo to the ISS are rapidly diminishing:
- The revamped CRS-2 contract no longer holds assured cargo delivery missions. Only the free flyer demo mission is guaranteed.
- The vehicle returning to Colorado to add national security capabilities to Dream Chaser, will add further delay before the free flyer mission is actually flown.
- All the while the ISS clock is ticking and NASA needs commitments for flying cargo.

So, I expect Dream Chaser to mostly pivot away from ISS duty after the free flyer demonstration mission is complete (probably sometime late 2026/ early 2027). To compensate for the "loss" of Dream Chaser capabilities both Cygnus and Crew Dragon will likely be assigned one or two additional cargo missions each by NASA, IMO.

Cygnus picked up two extra missions two days before the Dream Chaser cancellation.

[woods170]

Reading between the lines it becomes even more clear that the chances of Dream Chaser ever delivering cargo to the ISS are rapidly diminishing:
- The revamped CRS-2 contract no longer holds assured cargo delivery missions. Only the free flyer demo mission is guaranteed.
- The vehicle returning to Colorado to add national security capabilities to Dream Chaser, will add further delay before the free flyer mission is actually flown.
- All the while the ISS clock is ticking and NASA needs commitments for flying cargo.

So, I expect Dream Chaser to mostly pivot away from ISS duty after the free flyer demonstration mission is complete (probably sometime late 2026/ early 2027). To compensate for the "loss" of Dream Chaser capabilities both Cygnus and Crew Dragon will likely be assigned one or two additional cargo missions each by NASA, IMO.

Cygnus picked up two extra missions two days before the Dream Chaser cancellation.

Oh heck yes, I totally forgot. Thanks for reminding me.
Looks like NASA is already compensating for Dream Chaser failing to perform ISS cargo duty.

[vt_hokie]

So the DOD gets a new toy after taxpayers funded this thing for a commercial role and it may never even see ISS. Most disappointing. Then again, I'm just jaded because I'm not going to get to fly on Reagan's promised SSTO scramjet orient express of the skies in this lifetime!

[yg1968]

I can see why they'd want to land at Vandy after Columbia, but not because of potential runway damage.
Citation needed for the comment about being shipped back to Colorado. First I've heard of it.

Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes Critical Pre-flight Milestones [Nov 13]

With these critical milestones achieved, we expect Dream Chaser to move to its final round of acoustic testing in December 2025. Following this, modifications for national security applications will be explored and performed in Colorado. These enhancements will aim to expand Dream Chaser’s versatility and demonstrate its ability to fulfill a wide array of mission requirements, including those essential to national defense.

Reading between the lines it becomes even more clear that the chances of Dream Chaser ever delivering cargo to the ISS are rapidly diminishing:
- The revamped CRS-2 contract no longer holds assured cargo delivery missions. Only the free flyer demo mission is guaranteed.
- The vehicle returning to Colorado to add national security capabilities to Dream Chaser, will add further delay before the free flyer mission is actually flown.
- All the while the ISS clock is ticking and NASA needs commitments for flying cargo.

So, I expect Dream Chaser to mostly pivot away from ISS duty after the free flyer demonstration mission is complete (probably sometime late 2026/ early 2027). To compensate for the "loss" of Dream Chaser capabilities both Cygnus and Crew Dragon will likely be assigned one or two additional cargo missions each by NASA, IMO.

I hope that Isaacman changes that. In my opinion, NASA should exercise an option on a CRS2 mission for Dream Chaser as soon as possible, especially with what is going on in Russia. I don't understand NASA dropping Dream Chaser like that. Duffy wasn't administrator for very long but some of his decisions were terrible ones and this was another one of them. Renegotiating the CRS2 contract was understandable but the objective shouldn't have been to essentially end its CRS2 contract with Sierra Space. What was done with Boeing's renegotiated Starliner contract was a lot more reasonable.

[TheKutKu]

https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260105/Division%20A%20Commerce%20Justice%20Science.pdf

Space Cargo Vehicle Emergency Crew Return Capability - The agreement includes up to
$5,000,000 for modification and certification activities necessary to convert a U.S. commercial
cargo reentry vehicle to safely reenter and land crew on a runway within the continental United
States

Does this concern Dream chaser... or Starliner?

[StraumliBlight]

Does this concern Dream chaser... or Starliner?

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1104509345922838528

But this is definitely Dream Chaser.

[mn]

https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260105/Division%20A%20Commerce%20Justice%20Science.pdf

Space Cargo Vehicle Emergency Crew Return Capability - The agreement includes up to
$5,000,000 for modification and certification activities necessary to convert a U.S. commercial
cargo reentry vehicle to safely reenter and land crew on a runway within the continental United
States

Does this concern Dream chaser... or Starliner?

Dream Chaser is the only vehicle capable of landing on a runway. (Ok technically starliner can land anywhere so that would have to include a runway, but no I don't think that's what they mean)

[deltaV]

https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20260105/Division%20A%20Commerce%20Justice%20Science.pdf

Space Cargo Vehicle Emergency Crew Return Capability - The agreement includes up to
$5,000,000 for modification and certification activities necessary to convert a U.S. commercial
cargo reentry vehicle to safely reenter and land crew on a runway within the continental United
States

Does this concern Dream chaser... or Starliner?

This provision was presumably designed by a Dream Chaser supporter or lobbyist. Starliner doesn't appear to qualify since it isn't a "commercial cargo reentry vehicle" (it's a crew vehicle). Cygnus doesn't appear to qualify since it can't "safely reenter" and it would presumably take hundreds of millions of dollars to fix that. Dragon doesn't appear to have sufficient landing accuracy to hit a runway. Dragon could presumably be upgraded to hit a runway, but my hunch is it would take more than $5M to do so. I therefore guess either Dream Chaser will get this money or no one does (since it's "up to" $5M).