NASA and Sierra Space are preparing for the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. Dream Chaser and its accompanying cargo module, called Shooting Star, have arrived at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, for environmental testing scheduled to begin in mid-December before the first flight is planned for the first half of 2024.

Part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, the Neil Armstrong Test Complex is home to several test facilities, including the Space Environment Complex and the Space Propulsion Complex, both Dream Chaser stops. The complex houses the Mechanical Vibration Facility, which subjects test products to the rigors of launch.

While at Armstrong, the winged Dream Chaser spacecraft will be placed in the Shooting Star cargo module on a vibration table to experience vibrations similar to those experienced during launch and entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

After vibration testing, Dream Chaser will be moved to the power plant for thermal vacuum testing. Dream Chaser will be placed in a vacuum and will be exposed to low ambient pressure, low background temperatures, and simulated dynamic solar heating that mimics the environment the spacecraft will encounter during its mission. This facility is the only facility capable of testing full-scale booster rockets and rocket engines in simulated space conditions and conducting hot fire at altitude.

Following testing at Armstrong, Dream Chaser will be sent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for launch, currently scheduled for the first half of 2024.