News Dream Chaser Returns to Flight Testing with Successful Captive Carry Test

[Nicholas Kang]

Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser took to the skies over California’s Edwards Air Force Base on Wednesday for the first captive carry flight in the craft’s current round of testing that will ultimately see the space plane fly freely for approach and landing tests as part of its flight qualification for NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 contracts.

The winged space plane spent over one and a half hours in the air on Wednesday, suspended under a 234-UT lifting helicopter to gather data on the craft’s aerodynamic behavior and guidance & control system before the craft was gently set down on its main gear and nose skid to end the day’s operation.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Still chasing the dream! I hope somebody gives the fuzzy dice a lucky rub and the landing gear deploy properly!

 

[Ravenous]

Good to see one of these back in testing. It seems years ago they did that runway landing after a helicopter drop. (Yes the landing gear extension problem.)

Perhaps they are testing a new prototype.

 

[barrygolden]

Orbiter badly needs an AP for winged vehicles to land with such as the X 37 and dream chaser