SANDUSKY — A new space vehicle likely to expand the rapidly growing era of commercial spaceflight was shown to journalists Thursday inside NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky.

Dream Chaser Tenacity is the first of what could become a fleet of Dream Chaser cargo planes built for Earth’s low orbit by a Colorado-based aerospace company, Sierra Space.

Tenacity is a DC-100 spacecraft designed to haul cargo to and from the International Space Station later this year without a crew on board.

That’s assuming, of course, it passes all remaining tests at NASA’s Sandusky facility and final ones at the federal space agency’s Kennedy Space Center along Florida’s Atlantic coastline.

Sierra Space is hoping to become a third company to provide the space station with what are known as commercial resupply services. The other two are Northrop Grumman and SpaceX.

Tom Vice, Sierra Space chief executive officer, said at least seven missions to and from the space station are expected in the coming years. The launch date for the first one won’t be announced until tests are completed, but he said it is expected to occur by mid-2024.

“This is truly a historic day,” Mr. Vice said, calling Dream Chaser an important step forward in further developing commercial spaceflight. He said it is akin to one of the watershed moments in the space industry he witnessed as a child in the 1960s.

“NASA gave us the passion to dream bold dreams and to follow in the footsteps of giants. And maybe, just maybe, we can create new footsteps that others can follow,” Mr. Vice said. “The work we are doing will change everything. You have to step back and appreciate everything you're witnessing.”

NASA awarded Sierra Space a contract in 2016 to begin developing commercial resupply services.

Mr. Vice told The Blade after the news conference that the type of cargo being hauled to the space station will include food and other supplies for astronauts, as well as equipment to help maintain the space station. Perhaps biggest of all, though, will be carrying material needed for scientific experiments as the space station continues to orbit the Earth, he said.

Tenacity will be accompanied by the Shooting Star cargo module. The space plane and its cargo module were shown inside a 55-foot-tall vertical stack inside the Armstrong Test Facility’s Space Environments Complex, where they are undergoing environmental testing in that building’s mechanical vibration facility. 

Mr. Vice said the space industry is experiencing what is akin to a new industrial revolution, except one focused on space. His company is one of several on the commercial side of space travel.

“We collectively go into space to benefit life on Earth,” he said.

Dream Chaser Tenacity arrived at the Armstrong facility, in Erie County’s Perkins Township just south of Sandusky, in late November, Jimi Russell, NASA spokesman, said.

The Armstrong facility, formerly known as NASA’s Plum Brook Station, is part of the Cleveland-based NASA Glenn Research Center, one of 10 research centers NASA has across the United States.

James A. Kenyon, NASA Glenn Research Center director, called the opportunity to do extensive testing of Dream Chaser Tenacity “a huge opportunity” for the Armstrong facility.

“The commercial space industry is ramping up. We're seeing that right here,” Mr. Kenyon said. “This test is a big thing for us; it's a big deal for us. We see a lot of opportunity to do more and more testing here to support this industry.”

Phil Dempsey, NASA’s transportation integration manager for the International Space Station program, agreed that commercial spaceflight will achieve an important milestone when the first Dream Chaser vehicle becomes operational.

It is expected to haul 7,800 pounds of cargo on its first 45-day mission, with a potential to increase that as it learns from each mission, he said.

“We are truly looking forward to having Sierra Space alongside our other CRS [commercial resupply services] providers, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, to have an even more robust capability to fly to and from the space station,” Mr. Dempsey said.

Also at the event was Dr. Tom Marshburn, a former NASA astronaut now serving as Sierra Space’s chief medical officer.

The International Space Station has been in orbit for 25 years and has been visited by more than 270 astronauts, according to NASA’s website.

First Published February 1, 2024, 9:51 p.m.