Shooting Star cargo module goes vertical. The next time it does this will be in preparation for launch.
During Shooting Star's acoustic test, the team placed stacks of purpose-built loudspeakers – each one a highly-engineered acoustic device – in 21-ft-tall columns surrounding the spacecraft. A total of 48 acoustic devices were used during testing.
Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company and defense tech prime that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, announced today the successful completion of acoustic testing on its Shooting Star® cargo module at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, moving the spacecraft a significant step closer to launch readiness. The test, the first of its kind to be conducted inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF), replicated the intense acoustic stresses Shooting Star will need to withstand during a Vulcan Centaur rocket launch to the International Space Station (ISS).During the Direct Field Acoustic Test (DFAN), the test team placed stacks of purpose-built loudspeakers – each one a highly-engineered acoustic device – in 21-ft-tall columns surrounding the spacecraft. Their goal was to test whether the structural elements of Shooting Star could withstand the acoustic environment of a launch on a Vulcan Centaur rocket. Over a four-day period, test engineers blasted the spacecraft with a controlled sound field that was 10,000x higher intensity than the volume of a typical rock concert, recreating the sonic intensity of a launch. Shooting Star withstood acoustic levels greater than 140 dB for several minutes at a time, proving its flight worthiness.“Our innovative Shooting Star cargo module offers the capability to deliver additional capacity, flexibility and power to a wide range of missions,” said Sierra Space CEO, Tom Vice. “In our first mission, Shooting Star will carry critical science, food and cargo to the International Space Station for NASA, and our cargo modules will continue to play an integral role in bringing supplies to space as we build a Low Earth Orbit economy through commercial spaceflight.”Shooting Star attaches to the aft of Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser®, adding 7,000 lbs. of supplemental cargo capacity to the spaceplane, while its solar arrays and thrusters provide power and additional propulsion to both spacecraft. The acoustic testing at Kennedy Space Center was performed with a mobile setup provided by West Virginia-based Acoustic Research Systems, Inc.; it was the first time onsite acoustic testing has ever been conducted inside the SSPF, NASA’s historic staging location for space station-bound components.“Our goal is to accurately simulate real world launch conditions to make sure Sierra Space’s Shooting Star cargo module is ready for its first mission to the International Space Station,” said ARS CEO, Jeremiah Leiter. “The ARS team rose to the challenge, setting up a mobile configuration onsite at Kennedy Space Center – for the first time ever inside the Space Systems Processing Facility – providing Sierra Space with critical acoustic qualification testing. We look forward to supporting Sierra Space with the upcoming Dream Chaser acoustic test.”ARS used a total of 48 acoustic devices during the cargo module testing. The company’s Neutron™ System is an industry first, consisting of proprietary, purpose-built acoustic devices made for high-output aerospace acoustic testing. ARS will be using an even larger setup for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane; the impending test will be the largest payload ever tested with DFAN.
ISS Prog Dir Robyn Gatens is speaking now. Says first flight of Dream Chaser will take place during this upcoming increment (that begins when Soyuz MS-25 leaves/Crew-9 arrives). Also planning to do those EVAs they had to reschedule.
Our team successfully completed the ISS Joint Test of our Passive Common Berthing Mechanism (PCBM). This test verified that the PCBM meets NASA's standards. It included leak tests and alignment checks, ensuring the berthing interface safety between Dream Chaser and the ISS.
Sierra Space seeks a Special Temporary Authority for further testing of its Dream Chaser spacecraft planned to be launched for a delayed mission to support cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station. Sierra Space is requesting an STA for testing to occur between November 30, 2024 and May 2025. The testing will support Sierra Space Corporations DC-101 mission using the Dream Chaser Cargo System (DCCS), as part of the NASA Commercial Resupply Services.
The EMC test and RF capabilities of the vehicle testing will demonstrate, amongst other, that electromagnetic interference characteristics of the subsystem, under normal operating conditions, do not result in malfunction of the subsystem. It also demonstrates that the subsystem does not emit, radiate, or conduct interference, which could result in malfunction of other subsystems.
Please note that this testing is underway per STA grant call sign WX9XNT which expires on December 1, 2024. Due to unforeseen circumstances, there has been a delay in the DCC-1 mission, compounded with the need for additional testing to ensure mission safety. The current request is like the request which was the basis of the grant call sign WX9XNT and includes 3 additional locations where testing is expected to occur, hence the reference to the call sign WX9XNT in this application. The full list of test locations is provided in the table below for reference.The testing is expected to last no more than 3 months, though the current request is for a 6-month STA to account for further contingencies. Additionally, functional testing of the RALT and S-band antennas on the vehicle will or may be conducted at any of these additional locations (PHSF, VIF, Astrotech).
Dreamchaser-1 is now NET May 2025. I'm not sure I would feel particularly confident in that date either, but there you go.11:47 AM · Oct 9, 2024
QuoteDreamchaser-1 is now NET May 2025. I'm not sure I would feel particularly confident in that date either, but there you go.11:47 AM · Oct 9, 2024
Due to unforeseen circumstances, testing needs to carry on through no later than summer of 2025, and an STA is being sought herein to cover operations expected to occur no later than 06/01/2025.
Sierra Space seeks a Special Temporary Authority for further testing of its Dream Chaser spacecraft planned to be launched for a delayed mission to support cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station. Sierra Space is requesting an STA for testing to occur between November 30, 2024 and May 2025. The testing will support Sierra Space Corporations DC-101 mission using the Dream Chaser Cargo System (DCCS), as part of the NASA Commercial Resupply Services.The EMC test and RF capabilities of the vehicle testing will demonstrate, amongst other, that electromagnetic interference characteristics of the subsystem, under normal operating conditions, do not result in malfunction of the subsystem. It also demonstrates that the subsystem does not emit, radiate, or conduct interference, which could result in malfunction of other subsystems.
Quote from: catdlr on 10/09/2024 06:51 pmQuoteDreamchaser-1 is now NET May 2025. I'm not sure I would feel particularly confident in that date either, but there you go.11:47 AM · Oct 9, 2024Launch possibly delayed to beyond May. [Oct 21]QuoteDue to unforeseen circumstances, testing needs to carry on through no later than summer of 2025, and an STA is being sought herein to cover operations expected to occur no later than 06/01/2025.
Sierra Space, announced today a groundbreaking new technology in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The breakthrough development enables exterior spacecraft tiles that can withstand the high temperatures of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere over multiple, frequent missions. This new Thermal Protection System (TPS) was created to meet the needs of a commercial space industry that is moving at a faster pace than previous generations of spaceflight, and now requires more missions over shorter periods of time.The team at Sierra Space and Oak Ridge National Laboratory leveraged more than three decades of experience with NASA’s Space Shuttle program to design the new system. In the past, exterior tiles used on the Space Shuttle were only needed for an average of five missions per year. As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, increased launch frequency means that heat-protection designs for spacecraft must be stronger. Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser® spaceplane, for instance, is built for a minimum of 15 missions and is contracted with NASA for space station resupply missions with a nine-month reprocessing time.“Today marks a new era of spaceflight safety technology, and it’s going to enable travel to Low Earth Orbit that will eventually rival the frequency of commercial air travel,” said Sierra Space CEO, Tom Vice. “Our patent-pending Thermal Protection System is like nothing ever before created and essential to a near future where space travel becomes routine. Reusability of space vehicles is a key factor in expanding the commercial space industry and to do that we need new technology to keep spacecraft and crew safe.”The TPS tiles are made of a proprietary composite material that’s as strong as carbon fiber but with the added high-temperature stability of ceramic materials. The composite tiles have low-density thermal protection properties that are vital for insulative protection and stable flight dynamics. Atmospheric re-entry exposes spacecraft to speeds of more than Mach 17 (About 13,000 mph or 21,000 kph) with temperatures reaching higher than 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,704 degrees Celsius).
Sierra Space and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have completed the first development phase of the patent-pending TPS. The next phase includes more testing, which includes subjecting the tiles to testing at NASA’s Arc Jet plasma facility, which simulates the conditions of re-entry to Earth from space with heated gas flow. The second phase also explores using advanced manufacturing techniques to lower the costs of TPS production. The new TPS system is planned to be used on Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser moving forward, including the second Dream Chaser, called Reverence™, which is currently in production at the company’s Dream Factory in Colorado.
