In 2016, the NASA space agency concludedcontract with Sierra Nevada Corporation - they agreed that the Dream Chaser spacecraft under development will be used to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. He is expected to complete at least six missions, and in the course of each will lift about 3,400 kilograms of cargo in the form of food and water. Recently, fire tests of its engine were successfully conducted in Wisconsin.
He received the name Vortex and, in the opinionrepresentatives of the company will save tens of millions of dollars. Such a statement is explained by the fact that the engine has a design that does not require high production and maintenance costs. By itself, the ship Dream Chaser is independent of the launcher, that is, to launch it can use different launch vehicles, which is also a huge plus.
High-altitude Dream Chaser engine
Demonstrated engine will be installedon the first stage, ignite at high altitudes and set in motion the Dream Chaser in the upper atmosphere. The demonstration of the engine was successful, so the chances that the ship will indeed be able to deliver its first cargo to the ISS at the stated time have increased significantly. Recall, the company intends to start servicing the station in the spring of 2021.
According to the senator from Wisconsin, TammyBaldwin, thanks to the development of such a promising ship, the company provides 250 high-paying jobs for people. Thus, the Dream Chaser project will play a large role not only in the lives of astronauts, but also ordinary people.
Failures Dream Chaser
Dream Chaser spaceship passestests for quite some time - the first test flight took place in 2013. Unfortunately, then he was wrecked and severely damaged, so he was subsequently restored for a long time. In August 2017, another flight was made, and it was successful.
Unfortunately, accidents are a phenomenonextremely common. More recently, during testing of the Omega rocket, an explosion occurred in its nozzle. You can learn more about the incident and watch the video in our material.
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