The $1,400,000,000 Dream Chaser plane that will take humans to space

After more than a decade in development, the world’s first commercial spaceplane is ready to fly. 

The Dream Chaser Tenacity spacecraft will take its maiden trip to the International Space Station (ISS) in low Earth-orbit later this year, carrying over 7,800 pounds (3,540kg) of cargo. 

Sierra Space, the US company behind the spacecraft, was one of three companies contracted by Nasa ten years ago to send people and equipment to the ISS.

Dream Chaser’s first trip will be unmanned, but if all goes well, it is intended to fly astronauts there too.

Nasa provided $1.4 billion of budget in 2021 to develop the plane, after giving initial funding of $80 million.

It was cleared to fly after intensive testing at Nasa’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.

This included intense vibration and shock tests simulating conditions during launch, as well as exposure to extreme temperatures typical of the space environment.

Ahead of its inaugural launch, Dream Chaser has been transferred to Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice said: ‘Successful completion of an incredibly rigorous environmental testing campaign in close partnership with Nasa is a significant milestone and puts Dream Chaser on track for operations later this year. 

‘This is the year that we transition from rigorous research and development to regular orbital operations and in doing so transform the way we connect space and Earth.’

Once Dream Chaser arrives at the Kennedy Space Center, the team will add thermal protection tiles and perform additional checks, like acoustic testing.

When the craft has finished undergoing its testing, it will travel to space attached to the top of a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan Centaur rocket, as it cannot generate enough thrust to get to space alone.

From there, it will separate from the rocket and deploy its wings from a folded position before it flies to the ISS to dock and unleash its cargo. 

The craft will remain at the ISS for around 45 days before making its way back to Earth, where it can land as quickly as 11 to 15 hours, depending on the weather, and can land horizontally on a runway like a traditional aircraft.

Dream Chaser has two major elements, its spacecraft and the Shooting Star cargo module. The craft is designed to be reused up to 15 times but Shooting Star can only be used once.