On the pages of our website we already wrote about the American company Sierra Nevada, which is developing a cargo spaceship Dream Chaser. And here recently it became known the first details about the trials of this space ship.
Recall that the Dream Chaser is a small space Shuttle and is designed to send cargo to the ISS. The first launch is planned for native Atlas 5 or Ariane 5 and docked to the station to be implemented using the dock located in the rear of the ship. The first version of Dream Chaser will be unmanned, but in the future it is planned the creation of a managed apparatus, which can accommodate up to 7 people. Sierra Nevada, the manufacturer of the vehicle, in conjunction with SpaceX and Orbital ATK in 2016, received a NASA contract to deliver cargo to the ISS until 2024, so the prospects of the project, no doubt. Although it is worth Recalling that previous tests failed: when the fit came out the left landing gear, causing the vehicle was seriously damaged.
A series of new tests took place at the U.S. air force Edwards, California. During the first flight, the truck was lifted into the air by a helicopter and then the ship successfully completed its independent descent. The next phase of testing Dream Chaser is scheduled for October 2017 and full operation will take place in 2020.
In the United States tested a new spacecraft
Vladimir Kuznetsov