Dream Chaser mini-shuttle set to take flight at last

Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spaceplane is finally set to launch in 2024 after completing its latest set of tests at NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility.

The Dream Chaser spaceplane, named Tenacity, and its Shooting Star cargo companion, is to be shipped to Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for a final round of checks before integration ahead of its inaugural launch atop ULA's second Vulcan Centaur rocket.

It's been a while coming. The spaceplane was one of a trio of vehicles selected for NASA's $14 billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract in 2016. The others, SpaceX's Dragon and the Cygnus from Orbital ATK (acquired in 2018 by Northrop Grumman), were already operational by then, but this will be the first launch into space for Tenacity.

Dream Chaser is a reusable, uncrewed cargo freighter capable of gliding back to a runway landing ...