21.08.2024

Early next year, crews should break ground on a half-million-square-foot spacecraft processing facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center that will prep Sierra Space's uncrewed Dream Chaser space plane before and after takeoff into orbit.

All Points Logistics, a Merritt Island-based company, announced the partnership with Sierra Space to accommodate Dream Chaser pre-launch payload integration, checkout, launch vehicle integration and other ground-based services.

All Points hopes to build and open its 150-foot-tall spacecraft complex in 2026 on 60 acres south of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building.

"It's fairly widely known that the existing infrastructure at most of the U.S. spaceports is inadequate to handle the coming demand and launch cadence," said Kevin Brown, All Points Logistics senior vice president of business development.

"Spacecraft are changing. They're smaller, using different technologies that are going to require different types of testing before launch. The infrastructure that we're building provides the spacecraft owners and operators their last chance to make sure their spacecraft is going to work before it goes into space," Brown said.

"Once it leaves our facility, it hits the launch pad and launches into space," he said.

Preparing for Dream Chaser's maiden flight

Final testing and launch preparations for Dream Chaser's maiden flight remain ongoing at KSC. The 30-foot-long cargo space plane — named Tenacity — arrived at the Cape in mid-May from NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.

Crews moved Tenacity into a high bay inside NASA's Space Systems Processing Facility. Liftoff may occur by early next year atop a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The space plane will deliver 7,800 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station on its first flight. After about a 45-day stay at the orbiting outpost, Tenacity will descend to Earth and land like a space shuttle at KSC's Launch and Landing Facility.

In a press release, Sierra Space officials said the future All Points Logistics facility will streamline Dream Chaser flight turn-around preparations "by consolidating ground infrastructure and operations such as turnkey propellant servicing and de-servicing, pre- and post-mission payload integration and servicing, extensive equipment storage and dedicated control centers in a single complex conveniently located on Kennedy Space Center near the runway and launch pads."

Brown said his company is in negotiations with more companies to provide spacecraft processing services. Environmental studies remain ongoing for the 60-acre campus south of the VAB.

"Almost every program that comes to the Space Coast to launch brings with it a significant amount of equipment, shipping containers and other materials that have to be stored for some period of time. This facility will provide that, as well as office space for their launch campaign teams," Brown said.

Quelle: SC