Scott Nicholas
A Sierra Nevada Corp-built spacecraft has been subjected to a captive carry test at NASA‘s Armstrong Flight Research Center under the second phase of flight tests designed to prepare the vehicle for a future orbital flight.
SNC said Wednesday Dream Chaser tests are part of a Space Act Agreement the company and the space agency signed through the Commercial Crew Program.
The captive carry test collected data and assessed radar altimeters, flush air data system, air data probes, navigation system and the overall system performance of the spacecraft in a flight environment.
“This test is another indication the Dream Chaser is on track for meeting our key milestones on the way to orbital spaceflight,” said Steve Lindsey, vice president of space exploration systems at SNC.
“We are excited to move through the remaining ground and flight testing to help inform our [Commercial Resupply Services 2] orbital vehicle design and upcoming production.”
NASA awarded a second round of potential multibillion dollar contracts to SNC, Orbital ATK and SpaceX last year to help the agency transport cargo to and from the International Space Station through 2024.
SNC will evaluate all technical information from the flight tests and share the data with NASA engineers.
