Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems has successfully completed testing of the nose landing gear for the Dream Chaser® orbital crew vehicle.
This milestone evaluated the impact forces experienced by the landing gear at the front of the vehicle, the nose, in order to ensure safe runway landing capability of the Dream Chaser during approach and landing tests, as well as future orbital flights.
Test results were presented to NASA on June 25, 2012, and the successful milestone review was completed the same day.
The Dream Chaser main landing gear was tested in a similar manner in February of this year and other systems that support the flight test are currently being installed and tested. These milestones will prepare the Dream Chaser for its first approach and landing test scheduled for later this year. SNC has now completed 18 milestones as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
“This test marks a significant point in the development of the Dream Chaser orbital crew vehicle. As the last milestone before free flight of the Dream Chaser spacecraft, we are now preparing for the approach and landing tests to be flown later this year,” said Jim Voss, vice president of Space Exploration Systems and program manager for the Dream Chaser.
