Sierra Space has announced that its Dream Chaser cargo spaceplane, a lifting body design spacecraft that is runway compatible, has passed a major milestone, it has demonstrated that it can handle payloads.

It was originally a contender for ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS, but after losing out to SpaceX and Boeing, current parent company Sierra Space converted it to an uncrewed cargo version called the Dream Chaser Cargo System (DCCS).

This version does away with the passenger area and includes an expendable cargo module mounted with solar panels and the capability of taking 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) of pressurized cargo and 1,100 lb (500 kg) of unpressurized cargo to orbit, and returning 3,860 lb (1,750 kg) of cargo to Earth with maximum re-entry forces of 1.5 g.

The recent Joint Test 10B demonstration tests in Louisville, Colorado were aimed at showing the Dream Chaser can handle payloads under specified conditions, including the ability to supply them with power, air-cool them, and handle data between the payloads and Earth.

Along with communications links between the payloads and Sierra Space’s mission control room and NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, the tests included three payloads: the Polar cryogenic preservation system for transporting scientific samples, the Powered Ascent Utility Locker (PAUL) for charging CubeSats during ascent, and NASA’s Single Stowage Locker, which is a standard stowage system for experiments and other payloads.

https://newatlas.com/space/retro-spaceplane-aces-test-space-station/

https://www.sierraspace.com/dream-chaser-spaceplane/

https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Sierra_Space_Dream_Chaser_Spaceplane_Passes_Key_NASA_Test_in_Preparation_for_ISS_Resupply_Mission_999.html