NASA and Sierra Space have modified the Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract, which originally called for the Dream Chaser spaceplane to be used to supply the International Space Station (ISS).
Currently, there is a strong chance the vehicle will never reach the ISS before the outpost is deorbited in 2030.
The change to the contract means that Dream Chaser will now perform a free-flight demonstration, targeted for late 2026, and NASA will no longer be obligated to order a specific number of resupply missions. The agency might order Dream Chaser flights to the ISS after the free-flight demonstration, but there are no guarantees.
The Dream Chaser, a lifting-body spaceplane derived from NASA’s HL-20 concept (among others), has suffered from a problem familiar to many in the space industry – delays. The vehicle was originally intended to carry crew, but it was the cargo version that NASA selected.
The launch date for the vehicle, which can land on a runway and carries the nostalgic whiff of the Space Shuttle program about it, has slipped over the years. There seemed to be a good chance that it might finally launch in 2024, but this target also passed without the Dream Chaser troubling a launcher.
“Development of new space transportation systems is difficult and can take longer than what’s originally planned,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s International Space Station Program. The problem is that with so few years remaining for the ISS and the Dream Chaser’s demonstration flight set for late 2026, there does not seem to be much point in committing resources to a block of resupply flights to the outpost.
Not having the Dream Chaser fly to the ISS for its demonstration also de-risks the exercise, and while NASA has preserved the option to use the vehicle, it has also left itself the option to not bother with it at all, depending on the needs of the space station. If and when commercial space stations start being launched, there might be other destinations for Dream Chaser to visit.
The move is also notable in light of the company’s focus on defense technology. Sierra Space executive chair Fatih Ozmen said: “This transition provides unique capabilities to meet the needs of diverse mission profiles, including emerging and existential threats and national security priorities that align with our acceleration into the Defense Tech market.”
While the news means that a visit to the ISS by a winged spacecraft is unlikely, there is still a possibility that the vehicle might finally be launched. In the meantime, NASA’s commercial resupply needs for the ISS will continue to be met by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. ®