Vulcan VC4L V00X - Dream Chaser to ISS - CCSFS SLC-41 - NET May 2025

[FutureSpaceTourist]

This thread is for the first Dream Chaser mission, currently the 2nd Vulcan mission.


Don’t think we have a specific thread yet for this mission.

https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1526605448601817089

Weigel: The second Vulcan flight, carrying the first @SierraSpaceCo cargo Dream Chaser to the ISS, is currently scheduled for February 2023.

"We'll be ready when they're ready."

[yg1968]

Yes, he said late February to be more precise. See below:

During the Starliner press conference of yesterday, it was mentioned that the first mission of Dream Chaser is scheduled for late February 2023.

It's at 38 minutes of the video:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51827.msg2369726#msg2369726

[Vahe231991]

Yes, he said late February to be more precise. See below:

During the Starliner press conference of yesterday, it was mentioned that the first mission of Dream Chaser is scheduled for late February 2023.

It's at 38 minutes of the video:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51827.msg2369726#msg2369726

Sierra Nevada previously said that the first Dream Chaser launch would be scheduled for this year. I'm guessing that the ULA has delayed the first launch of the Dream Chaser by a few months because it is making preparations to mate the Peregrine lander with the first Vulcan rocket.

[deadman1204]

Yes, he said late February to be more precise. See below:

During the Starliner press conference of yesterday, it was mentioned that the first mission of Dream Chaser is scheduled for late February 2023.

It's at 38 minutes of the video:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51827.msg2369726#msg2369726

Sierra Nevada previously said that the first Dream Chaser launch would be scheduled for this year. I'm guessing that the ULA has delayed the first launch of the Dream Chaser by a few months because it is making preparations to mate the Peregrine lander with the first Vulcan rocket.

Dreamchaser was always gonna be the 2nd Vulcan launch.

[yg1968]

Yes, he said late February to be more precise. See below:

During the Starliner press conference of yesterday, it was mentioned that the first mission of Dream Chaser is scheduled for late February 2023.

It's at 38 minutes of the video:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=51827.msg2369726#msg2369726

Sierra Nevada previously said that the first Dream Chaser launch would be scheduled for this year. I'm guessing that the ULA has delayed the first launch of the Dream Chaser by a few months because it is making preparations to mate the Peregrine lander with the first Vulcan rocket.

Dreamchaser was always gonna be the 2nd Vulcan launch.

Not that it matters but Dream Chaser was supposed to be the first Vulcan launch initially but it got bumped to second a while ago.

[DanClemmensen]

Dreamchaser was always gonna be the 2nd Vulcan launch.

Not that it matters but Dream Chaser was supposed to the first Vulcan launch initially but it got bumped to second a while ago.

It seems that Dream Chaser, Peregrine, and Vulcan have all slipped repeatedly over the last few years and the dates of the two flights have been adjusted as a result. I suppose the order could reverse again, but this guess is based only on past history and not any inside information.

[Vahe231991]

With the completion of the first Vulcan rocket around the corner next month, the question is whether any components for the second Vulcan to be used to launch the Dream Chaser spaceplane are being fabricated.

[russianhalo117]

With the completion of the first Vulcan rocket around the corner next month, the question is whether any components for the second Vulcan to be used to launch the Dream Chaser spaceplane are being fabricated.

Yes along with few others on the line.

[deadman1204]

With the completion of the first Vulcan rocket around the corner next month, the question is whether any components for the second Vulcan to be used to launch the Dream Chaser spaceplane are being fabricated.

While it may get the 2nd engine next month, there is more than engines. Has the centaur V been completed yet?

[Bean Kenobi]

Thread title date can be updated to "Summer 2023".

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1571868469188235266

[whitelancer64]

DutchSatellites
@DutchSatellites

As expected multiple sources have reported over the past several weeks that
@SierraSpaceCo
 Dream Chaser is no longer manifested on
@ulalaunch
 Vulcan flight #2. Primary reason is yet another set of delays in getting Dream Chaser ready for flight.
1:23 PM · Mar 5, 2023


https://twitter.com/DutchSatellites/status/1632492016465575941

[mandrewa]

Andrei K asked DutchSatellites,

"So, what will be launched in flight #2 ? NSSL payloads need at least 2 prior launches, don’t they? Does that leave only the Project Kuiper sats?"

DutchSatellites answered,

"Beside Dream Chaser launches & beside the NSSL contract & the Kuiper contract, @ulalaunch has contracts in place for launching several commercial payloads. One of those might be available for Vulcan flight #2. If not, then there is always the mass simulator @torybruno mentioned."

[Bean Kenobi]

Andrei K asked DutchSatellites,

"So, what will be launched in flight #2 ? NSSL payloads need at least 2 prior launches, don’t they? Does that leave only the Project Kuiper sats?"

DutchSatellites answered,

"Beside Dream Chaser launches & beside the NSSL contract & the Kuiper contract, @ulalaunch has contracts in place for launching several commercial payloads. One of those might be available for Vulcan flight #2. If not, then there is always the mass simulator @torybruno mentioned."

Which commercial payloads on Vulcan beside Dream Chaser and Kuiper ? I have never heard of them.

New Glenn has some options (Eutelsat, JCSat and Muspace), not Vulcan.

[Robert_the_Doll]

Andrei K asked DutchSatellites,

"So, what will be launched in flight #2 ? NSSL payloads need at least 2 prior launches, don’t they? Does that leave only the Project Kuiper sats?"

DutchSatellites answered,

"Beside Dream Chaser launches & beside the NSSL contract & the Kuiper contract, @ulalaunch has contracts in place for launching several commercial payloads. One of those might be available for Vulcan flight #2. If not, then there is always the mass simulator @torybruno mentioned."

Which commercial payloads on Vulcan beside Dream Chaser and Kuiper ? I have never heard of them.

New Glenn has some options (Eutelsat, JCSat and Muspace), not Vulcan.

Though it would be desirable for ULA to have a paying customer's payload on the flight, they do have alternatives, namely the mass simulator that Tory Bruno has spoken of that was built to replace Astrobotic's lander in the advent that their Peregrine lander was not ready for the Certification-1 flight.
It could be repurposed to take the place of Dream Chaser Tenacity, assuming it is not needed for Certification-1.

[Tomness]

Hate to waste a second flight on a Mass Simulator. I wonder what it would take for Gwen to launch Starlinks on a one off for this flight. If nothing was available.

[2megs]

Hate to waste a second flight on a Mass Simulator. I wonder what it would take for Gwen to launch Starlinks on a one off for this flight. If nothing was available.

I would bet that the first-time one-off integration costs (and risks of new engineering) would exceed SpaceX's internal marginal costs for an additional Falcon launch. Right now they're popping out an entire second stage every four-ish days, which is still hard to get my head around.

[lrk]

It does seem kind of silly to fly a real customer payload on the first flight, and then a mass sim on the second flight.  If (somehow, I think this scenario is pretty unlikely) no customer payloads could be found for flight 2 on short notice, could they consider bumping Peregrine to the second flight and flying the mass sim on flight 1? 

Would also give Astrobotic a bit more schedule margin if there are any last-minute integration challenges (IIRC, they still needed to install part of the propulsion system?)

[Vahe231991]

The SpaceFlightNow website lists the first launch of a Dream Chaser atop a Vulcan rocket is being scheduled for NET August 2023. This launch window might sound reasonable considering that a precise launch date for the maiden launch of the Vulcan rocket was only announced recently.

[Zed_Noir]

Hate to waste a second flight on a Mass Simulator. I wonder what it would take for Gwen to launch Starlinks on a one off for this flight. If nothing was available.

I would bet that the first-time one-off integration costs (and risks of new engineering) would exceed SpaceX's internal marginal costs for an additional Falcon launch. Right now they're popping out an entire second stage every four-ish days, which is still hard to get my head around.

Probably not. The issue with Starlink comsats is that SpaceX couldn't deploy them fast enough. There are stacks of Starlink comsats waiting for their ride up.

If the Centaur V could flip end over end like the Falcon 9 upper stage after engine cutoff. SpaceX could just installed and deployed Starlink comsats exactly like on the Falcon 9. The Starlink v1.5 comsats are much tougher than any other satellites.

Always wonder how many Starlink v1.5 comsats can fit in a long Vulcan-Centaur payload fairing. There should be enough volume in the long payload fairing for about 90 Starlink comsats. Plus ULA can test out the VC6L configuration as well.

[woods170]

Andrei K asked DutchSatellites,

"So, what will be launched in flight #2 ? NSSL payloads need at least 2 prior launches, don’t they? Does that leave only the Project Kuiper sats?"

DutchSatellites answered,

"Beside Dream Chaser launches & beside the NSSL contract & the Kuiper contract, @ulalaunch has contracts in place for launching several commercial payloads. One of those might be available for Vulcan flight #2. If not, then there is always the mass simulator @torybruno mentioned."

Which commercial payloads on Vulcan beside Dream Chaser and Kuiper ? I have never heard of them.

New Glenn has some options (Eutelsat, JCSat and Muspace), not Vulcan.

Apart from the maiden launch with Peregrine and 2 Kuiper demo sats, 19 awarded NSSL Phase 2 launches, 38 awarded Kuiper launches and 6 awarded Dream Chaser CRS2 launches, Vulcan also managed to score at least 6 not publically disclosed (as of yet) commercial launches. At least two of those are, per my sources, commercial comsat launches.

The total number of ordered Vulcan launches exceeded 70 late last year.


Which, btw, means that Blue Origin is on the hook for building at least 140 flight BE-4 engines for just Vulcan. Not bad for a new engine. It also means that Aerojet is on the hook for building at least 140 more RL-10C-1-1 and RL-10C-X engines. Not bad either.