Which vehicle will replace NASA space shuttle?

After the space shuttle program ended, the US Space Agency (NASA) turned to using spacecraft manufactured by private companies to bring American cargo and astronauts to the space station. International (ISS) in the future.

Here are some spacecraft expected to replace NASA's space shuttle:

1. Dream Chaser

Developed by Colorado-based Sierra Nevada, Dream Chaser is one of five spacecraft invested by NASA with a total value of up to $ 50 million, replacing the completed shuttle program. last year.

Dream Chaser spacecraft can transport cargo and 7 astronauts to ISS station and safely return to Earth. Another advantage of this spacecraft is that it was designed to be launched with an Atlas rocket - believed to have been used by NASA since 1957. Last month, Sierra Nevada added a $ 213 million investment to continue develop this project.

Currently, Sierra Nevada is developing a concept version of Dream Chaser and is being tested for its structure. NASA said the Dream Chaser spacecraft intends to carry out a flight test mission to Earth's low orbit in the mid-decade.

2. Unmanned Dragon Spacecraft

SpaceX's Dragonless spacecraft successfully connected with the International Space Station on May 25th. This is the first time a private spacecraft successfully connected to the ISS station.

The outstanding advantage of Dragon spacecraft is its simple design and re-use in the next mission. Although the spacecraft is a very advanced design, Dragon still landed in the same classic way as the previous Apollo spacecraft.

3. Spacecraft with a Dragon driver

In parallel with the unmanned spacecraft project, SpaceX also developed a manned version of the Dragon spacecraft. Last April, the manned version was successfully tested on the ground with up to 7 astronauts.

'SpaceX won contracts to bring goods to ISS with high reliability,' said Dr. David Brin, expert in space science at the University of California (USA), on National Geographic. 'The company will soon bring astronauts to ISS'.

4. CST-100

Unlike the Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft, Boeing's CST-100 does not have wings, so it will have to land with an airbag like the Dragon spacecraft. However, the CST-100 was designed to carry a 7-member crew.