Over the weekend Sierra Nevada Corporation's (SNC) Dream Chaser space plane flew freely for the first time after being released from an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter. The space plane’s flight followed its predicted behaviors throughout its journey, however, upon touchdown the landing gear failed to deploy and the Dream Chaser was damaged.
According to an SNC press release “While there was an anomaly with the left landing gear deployment, the high-quality flight and telemetry data throughout all phases of the approach-and-landing test will allow SNC teams to continue to refine their spacecraft design. SNC and NASA Dryden are currently reviewing the data. As with any space flight test program, there will be anomalies that we can learn from, allowing us to improve our vehicle and accelerate our rate of progress."
SNC has yet to release information about the extent of the damages, however, the company has stated that it will be able to be repair the craft and return to tests soon.
Image Courtesy of SNC