Cape Canaveral: It is the return of the shuttle – albeit in a somewhat smaller form.
NASA has revealed a new ‘mini shuttle’ built by Sierra Nevada’s Corporation is about to begin its final testing, and will soon be delivering cargo to the International Space Station (ISS).
‘Fans disconsolate after retirement of NASA’s shuttle fleet can take heart: The next generation in reusable space vehicles is set to debut,’ the agency said.
The Dream Chaser ‘mini-shuttle’ will launch upright on top of a rocket and land on runways like a plane.
NASA says the ‘guiding principles’ for the craft are ‘Fly frequently, travel safely, land on (most) runways, and operate economically’.
It plans to use the craft as a cargo-carrying aerospace workhorses routinely launching to low-Earth orbit for space station resupply and crew transfers, according to media reports.
