The world's first commercial space plane

Tenacity, the space plane that transports cargo to the ISS, enters the final stages of preparation for its first launch at the end of 2024 .

The world's first winged commercial space plane, Tenacity, has arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, New Atlas reported on May 20. This is the final destination before this aircraft performs its first mission to the International Space Station (ISS) later this year.

Tenacity space plane simulation. (Photo: Sierra Space).

After rigorous testing at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio, Tenacity, the first spaceplane of the Dream Chaser series built by American company Sierra Space, was able to begin final preparations. before launch, for example completing the thermal protection system and payload integration. The first launch is expected to take place later this year, in which Tenacity will "hitch a ride" on the Vulcan rocket of American company United Launch Alliance (ULA) to transport 3,540kg of food, water and scientific experiment kits. to the ISS station.

Dream Chaser has been in development since September 2004 and was initially planned to be part of NASA's Commercial Crew program - the program to transport astronauts to and from the ISS. However, it was displaced by vehicles from Boeing and SpaceX in 2014, when the two companies signed the $6.8 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract.

Not long after, Dream Chaser was noticed by NASA again. In 2016, a more compact version of the space plane that did not carry people was chosen by NASA as the first vehicle of its kind to carry important cargo to the ISS station, and at the same time bring goods from the ISS to Earth.

Assembly process of space plane and Shooting Star module. (Video: Sierra Space).

Tenacity will be the first in a fleet of reusable, flexible lift-body spaceplanes for low-orbit deliveries. The aircraft has internal thrusters with three modes for precise landing on the ISS station and fixed wings to dive back into Earth's atmosphere and automatically land on the runway at Kennedy Space Center.

Shooting Star , the cargo module docked with Tenacity, arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on May 11 and will not return to Earth intact. This compact module is 4 m long, can hold up to 3,175 kg of cargo and an additional external storage compartment, designed to burn out during reentry. Shooting Star and about 2,590 kg of trash will decompose thanks to the "incinerator" that operates using Earth's atmospheric pressure.

Tenacity plans to launch from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and dock with the ISS for about 45 days, then say goodbye to the cargo module and descend to land on the runway at the Center. Kennedy Universe.

Sierra Space plans to operate a production line to assemble Shooting Star modules. Each task requires a new module since they cannot be reused. NASA will conduct at least seven cargo missions with Tenacity, which could increase the aircraft's carrying capacity and extend missions to 75 days in the future.