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Space Shuttle vs Dream Chaser: Can This Pint Sized Space Plane Really Replace an Icon?

The last American space plane to complete a mission in orbit touched down at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011. When the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis came to a wheel stop at the end of the 15,000-foot (4,572-meter) long runway, it marked the end of an era for NASA.
Dream Chaser vs Space Shuttle 52 photos
Photo: Sierra Space
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The Space Shuttle program proved that re-useable space planes aren't exactly the fool-proof best way to put humans and technology into space, and it was planned to be since the dog days of the Apollo program. With a total program cost of nearly $250 billion when adjusted for inflation, it'd be inaccurate to call the Shuttle Program cost-effective.

Keep in mind, each Space Shuttle orbiter was originally intended to complete as many as 100 missions before the end of its lifecycle. None of the six orbiters ever even came close to this figure. In spite of all the amazing science credited to the Space Shutte, including the Hubble and Chandra space telescopes, the Ulysses Solar Probe, and 48 different trips to two different space stations, the cost is a blemish on an otherwise historic list of accomplishments.

But thanks to Sierra Nevada and its now legally separate Sierra Space offshoot, the era of the reusable space plane is not at an end. If anything, it's probably only getting started. All thanks to a steady influx of investment from its former parent company. With the spirit of a long-defunct NASA prototype vehicle and some of the brightest minds in the aerospace sector, the pint-sized Dream Chaser space plane is trying to do many of the same duties the Space Shuttle used to service.

Be it transferring astronauts to and from space stations in Low Earth Orbit, servicing satellites and boosting their orbits, or even launching tiny microsatellites and space probes. The only thing limiting the Dream Chaser's capabilities, in theory, is its diminutive size. And with that, we find the most obvious divergence between Dream Chaser and the defunct Space Shuttle: its scale.

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Photo: NASA
In truth, the Dream Chaser space plane is derived from a long-dead NASA concept vehicle from the early 1990s. One designed to supplement missions in between Space Shuttle launches. When it became clear there was no way NASA could afford to launch it 100 times as intended, the HL-20 Personnel Launch System was created to help.

Immediately, the similarities between the Siera Space's and NASA's designs are plain to see. With dimensions of 29 feet (8.8 m) long and a wingspan of 23.5 feet (7.2 m) compared to Dream Chasers' 30-foot (9 m) length and 23-foot (7 m) wingspan, the Space Shuttle easily dwarfs both.

But don't start doubting Dream Chaser's hauling abilities just yet. Its size is actually its most important attribute. Whereas the single Space Shuttle launch was a $1.6 billion investment, a smaller space plane roughly a quarter the Shuttle's size is thought to cost at least a quarter what a larger spaceplane would.

Indeed, the Space Shuttles could carry as much as 65,000 pounds (29,000 kg) of cargo into Low Earth Orbit. But in a time where Delta IVs, Arian 5s, and Falcon Heavies do a lovely job of launching probes and satellites, there simply isn't as much need for a proverbial "space pickup truck" as the Space Shuttle ultimately became.

SNC's Dream Chaser
Photo: Sierra Space
The Dream Chaser's more modest payload capacity of 11,000 lbs (5,000 Kg, 5 tons) might not be nearly as impressive. But unlike the Space Shuttle, Sierra Spaces' prized spaceplane is designed to fly as a fleet of more than a measly six.

Already, a founding group of three Dream Chaser orbiters is nearing completion with several more undoubtedly on the way should the first cargo and manned missions go smoothly. The maiden unmanned launch is currently scheduled for February 2023 aboard a ULA Vulcan Centaur booster rocket. A novel two-stage, heavy-lift launch vehicle developed to be one of the most cost-effective booster rockets in its classification.

In due time, we'll see if the Dream Chaser approach to reusable space planes lives up to the expectations of the Shuttle's chief architect Dr. Maxime Faget better than even his own brainchild.
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