The Dream Chaser spaceplane from Sierra Space has experienced yet another delay in its long-awaited debut in space. Initially scheduled for a summer 2024 launch aboard United Launch Alliance's (ULA) new Vulcan Centaur rocket, the mission has been postponed. This decision aligns with ULA’s commitment to prioritize two critical national security missions mandated by the U.S. Space Force that must be completed by the end of 2024. This delay further elongates the already extensive timeline for Dream Chaser, a spacecraft that has navigated numerous hurdles since its inception.
With the Dream Chaser's launch deferred, ULA will now proceed with its second-ever launch of the Vulcan Centaur, termed Cert-2, no earlier than September 2024. Cert-2 is a crucial military certification flight that will carry an inert payload along with various experiments and demonstrations. ULA CEO Tory Bruno announced this revised plan on June 26, 2024, emphasizing the necessity of these launches for national security. The third launch, another preparation mission for the U.S. Space Force, is slated for the end of 2024.
Well, the Cert-2 mission aims to measure the propellant boil-off from the Centaur upper stage and send undisclosed experiments to orbit to extend the duration of the upper stage. The successful completion of this mission is pivotal for ULA, as it will solidify the Vulcan Centaur’s reliability for subsequent national security missions.
Now, is Sierra space pissed of by the new decision? Not at all! They remain optimistic despite the delay, asserting that Dream Chaser could still be ready for launch by the end of 2024. According to a company representative, significant progress has been made, and the spaceplane remains on track for a timely flight. The representative acknowledged the critical nature of ULA’s Cert-2 mission and expressed the company’s commitment to working closely with ULA to identify the next available launch opportunity for Dream Chaser.
The Dream Chaser spaceplane, with its design rooted in the legacy of NASA’s space shuttle and Soviet-era concepts, has endured a complex development journey. Initially an early contender in NASA's Commercial Crew Program, Dream Chaser was eventually not selected in favor of SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner in 2014. This decision prompted Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the previous parent company of Sierra Space, to file a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The protest was overturned, but it did not mark the end of Dream Chaser’s aspirations.
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