The Dream Chaser went undergone and a complete refurbishment since its last test flight that ended in a crash as its landing gear failed to deploy correctly. Finally it achieved its first successful free-flight and landing on Saturday. In this way the Dream Chaser’s first successful glide flight and landing marked a momentous milestone for the project after a development of few years. Sierra Nevada Corp (SNC) tweeted enthusiastically on Saturday, “The Dream Chaser had a beautiful flight and landing!” following the successful free-flight test carried out on November 11, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.
There are three contracts by NASA to resupply the ISS (International Space Station) from 2019 onwards. The Dream Chaser is being developed under one of these contracts by NASA. Unlike the other two capsule-based programs, the Dream Chaser is the only spacecraft having capability of landing on a runway. It means that it can not only arrive with ISS research samples at any large-scale at any large-scale commercial airport in the world but it will also be able to return more precious research samples that might be damaged by alternative re-entry methods.
It’s being expected that Dream Chaser will start its delivery mission to the ISS in late 2019.
