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Dream Chaser Spaceplane Could Transport US Military Troops to Space

The US military may soon be in possession of a new spacecraft capable of transporting troops to space and low Earth orbit within just three hours, following the signing of a research and development contract between the US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) and Sierra Space, the company behind the Dream Chaser spaceplane.

Dream Chaser parked on the runway at dusk
Photo Credit: Ken Ulbrich / NASA / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

The deal, which was announced on September 8, 2022, allows for Sierra Space and USTRANSCOM to develop and investigate industry capabilities for immediately employment. Using the Dream Chaser spaceplane, the aim is to move troops and supplies anywhere in the world in just a fraction of the time it would take traditional transportation.

Speaking about the contract, Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice said, “Today’s agreement with the United States Transportation Command gives Sierra Space the unique opportunity to provide hypersonic point-to-point solutions to our government customers.

Sierra Space has been developing the Dream Chaser for a number of years, basing its design on NASA‘s HL-20 Personnel Launch System spaceplane concept. After being acquired by Orbitec LLC in 2014, the company announced it would be veering away from its hybrid rocket engine design to a cluster of Orbitec’s Vortex engines, which use nitrous oxide and propane as propellants. The first drop test for the spaceplane occurred in 2017, with the official launch anticipated to happen in 2023.

“Designed for high reusability, this vehicle reduces overall cost, providing quick turnarounds between missions,” Sierra Space writes on its official website. “The ability to liftoff on top of multiple launch vehicles and land at a wide variety of runways makes Dream Chaser a flexible option for reliable transportation.”
Once operational, NASA plans to have the spaceplane complete at least seven cargo service missions to the International Space Station (ISS). With the addition of a robotic arm, it will also be able to boost satellites higher into orbit and draw them in for maintenance and repairs.
Pickup truck towing the Dream Chaser down the runway
Photo Credit: Ken Ulbrich / NASA / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Through use with the military, the aim is to support both combat missions and non-combat activities, including medical missions and humanitarian relief. Since the Dream Chaser’s development, both the US Air Force and USTRANSCOM have shown interest in the spacecraft, to supplement typical air, surface and land transportation methods.

According to an Air Force statement released in October 2020, the primary constraints that need to be addressed are volume, weight and restrictions when it comes to launch operations and recovery. However, if these issues can be overcome, the hope is a spaceplane will join the military’s fleet.
The statement reads, “As industry advances to overcome these challenges as well as increase its pace of launches to decrease costs, a space transportation capability to put a crucial cargo quickly on target at considerable distances makes it an attractive alternative.”
Lt. Col. Nirav Lad, principal investigator for Space Transportation Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, USTRANSCOM’s Strategic Plans, Policy, and Logistics Directorate, added that “the potential of space transportation to deliver Defense Department cargo anywhere in the world in an hour provides an additional option to complement USTRANSCOM’s strategic sealift and airlift capabilities.”
Artist's rendering of how the Dream Chaser would look parked beneath the International Space Station
Photo Credit: Sierra Nevada Space Systems / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
The US military has signed a number of agreements in 2022 to address its point-to-point transportation needs. This includes a $102 million contract with SpaceX for rocket deliveries of cargo and humanitarian equipment and another with Rocket Lab for use of its Electron booster.
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