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Curvy spaceplane is one step closer to its ISS rendezvous

Sierra Space’s reusable Dream Chaser recently passed a major NASA test.

According to the startup’s January 29 update, the company’s retro-futuristic spaceplane, Dream Chaser, recently demonstrated the ability to handle critical payloads destined for the International Space Station. While Dream Chaser itself was located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, control rooms also participated in the exercise at Sierra Space in Louisville, CO, and the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, AL. During the test, Dream Chaser demonstrated the ability to exchange data between multiple payloads inside the pressurized cabin, air-cool capabilities, and the need to consistently maintain in-cabin power. Joint Test 10B focused on three payloads, all of which are potentially slated to be aboard DCC-1, Dream Chaser’s first official ISS mission currently scheduled to launch no earlier than May.

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