When will Sierra Space's winged vehicle, Dream Chaser, finally take flight? Unfortunately, it's still not clear. Almost certainly, however, it won't be this year.
The Dream Chaser space plane has now been under development for more than two decades, and it has a huge cult following because its winged shape mimics the iconic Space Shuttle. However, during a recent news briefing, a senior NASA official would only say this about a launch date: "We will be ready for them when they're ready to fly."
The comments came from Dana Weigel, who is the program manager for the International Space Station. Sierra Space has a contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the space station, and its first flight is intended to visit the space station. Weigel was asked about Dream Chaser at a news briefing Friday, following the successful launch of the Crew-11 mission.
