Dream Chaser
Reusable, reliable human spaceflight transportation
The Dream Chaser® spacecraft is a reusable commercial spaceplane being developed by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to carry both pressurized and unpressurized cargo to and from low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations such as the International Space Station.
In 2016, NASA selected the Dream Chaser to provide cargo delivery to the Space Station under the Commercial Resupply Service 2 (CRS-2) contract. Dream Chaser will provide a minimum of six cargo service missions to and from the Space Station starting in late 2020. SNC is currently building a cargo version of the Dream Chaser, but has the capability of building a crew version that can hold up to seven astronauts.
Key Features
Aircraft-like Operations: The vehicle is a lifting-body that will launch into space atop a conventional expendable rocket, maneuver in space using onboard propulsion systems, and glide back to Earth for a runway landing at the end of each mission.
Gentle Runway Landing: Low-g (1.5 g) entry & gentle runway landing protects sensitive payloads and science experiments; provides rapid access to payloads upon landing.
Highly Reusable: The cargo version of the Dream Chaser spacecraft is designed to be reused more than 15 times.
Our Role
Electrical Power System: Aerojet Rocketdyne is supplying the electrical power system for the spaceplane. The efficient and low-cost system will regulate power generated by the solar arrays attached to the vehicle’s disposable cargo module and distribute it to the reusable spacecraft’s avionics, thermal and propulsion systems, as well as to payloads that require electrical power. Aerojet Rocketdyne will design, develop, fabricate, test and integrate the electrical power system, including the power conversion system, distribution units and rechargeable batteries. The power system will increase the spacecraft’s free-flight time in space.
