Image copyright SNC The European Space Agency (ESA) were enthusiastic about the decision by NASA to use winged manned spacecraft Dream Chaser to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
January 14, 2016 the US space agency NASA has selected the company Sierra Nevada Corporation with their cargo version of the Dream Chaser spaceship as one of three winners of the second phase of the program supply the International Space Station. The company guarantees a minimum of six cargo flights to the ISS in the period from 2019 to 2024.
The company is developing a manned spacecraft reusable called Dream Chaser.
From the point of view of ESA’s good news because the agency has a cooperation agreement with Sierra Nevada Corporation. Solution NASA now means that many European companies have a chance to supply equipment and missile technology of the corporation.
The main unit of the ship, in the production of which will be attended by European producers will be a new international docking mechanism, which was developed in Europe .
Ship Dream Chaser will be a node in its tail section, with which he will be able to dock with ISS.
This node allows to seal the entrance to the station, crew members of the ship and its unloading.
The manufacture of the mechanism involved in the Belgian company QinetiQ. Solution NASA will lead to the conclusion of multi-million contracts between her and the ESA.
The company will be headed by created a consortium for the production of the first of the docking station, a prototype of which will be transferred to the US company SNC for flight testing for free.
However, further supply of such mechanisms will be made on a commercial basis.
ESA and the German Space Agency DLR in early 2014 signed with SNC memorandum of understanding in which the ship Dream Chaser was named as a possible means of delivery and people on board the ISS.
The then head of HCA Jan Werner spoke about the interest of European producers to use as a carrier startup ship heavy European rocket “Ariane”.
However, he tied while this opportunity to change the design of the ship – in order to fit under the nose fairing rocket “Ariane” Dream Chaser vehicle must have folding wings.
The company SNC agreed to this requirement in the development of the cargo version of the ship. Jan Werner, who has since become the CEO of the ESA, has confirmed its interest in the use of this vehicle for a variety of space missions in the future.
ESA is particularly interested in solving the problem of space debris, developing methods of removing old and non-functional equipment from orbit. According to Werner, the ship Dream Chaser can play an important role here, bringing into orbit robots and high-power lasers that will be used for disposal of debris.
The decision by NASA on the use of the ship Dream Chaser adds a second ship reusable to the number of delivery vehicles to the ISS.
It is planned that the ship will be able to make the descent from orbit with aerodynamic planning a manned or unmanned. The most likely landing site is a landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After a landing craft will be quickly delivered to the launch site and set on top of the carrier rocket with folded wings.
The ship “Dragon” company SpaceX is also designed for repeated use, but so far, NASA insists on using every time you start a new ship.
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