Dream Chaser Tenacity
Sierra Space · United States · Space · also known as Dream Chaser, Tenacity · Updated
Dream Chaser Tenacity is the first flight vehicle in Sierra Space's uncrewed cargo spaceplane fleet. It is a lifting body designed to launch vertically inside a rocket fairing, operate in low Earth orbit, then glide back and land on a commercial runway. Tenacity has not yet flown. As of the most recent company statements, its first demonstration mission is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026.
Design and capabilities
The spaceplane is about 9 metres long, roughly a quarter the length of a Space Shuttle orbiter. Its wings fold so the vehicle fits inside a five-metre launch fairing and deploy after separation. The lifting-body shape spreads the loads of atmospheric entry, and Sierra Space says the vehicle returns under about 1.5 g, gentle enough for sensitive science samples and for payloads to be unloaded soon after rollout on the runway. The company states an upmass of 8,000 lb, about 3,630 kg, when flown with the expendable Shooting Star cargo module, and a return mass of 2,245 lb, about 1,020 kg, inside the spaceplane itself.
On-orbit manoeuvring uses thrusters developed by Sierra Space that run in three thrust modes, burning hydrogen peroxide as a monopropellant at lower power and adding RP-1 kerosene when more thrust is needed. Solar panels carried on the cargo module supply electrical power. Sierra Space designs each airframe for 15 or more missions, and the vehicle has no crew provision in this configuration.
Programme status
Tenacity was built under NASA's second Commercial Resupply Services contract. The vehicle and its cargo module completed vibration and acoustic testing at NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio during 2024 and arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida in April 2024 for launch preparations.
On 25 September 2025 Sierra Space announced that NASA and the company had changed the first flight from a station resupply mission to a free-flying demonstration in low Earth orbit, a change the company described as giving greater mission flexibility. The first flight will therefore not dock with or berth at the International Space Station. On 13 November 2025 Sierra Space reported further pre-flight milestones: electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing at NASA's Space Systems Processing Facility, high-speed tow tests at the Launch and Landing Facility in Florida, telemetry and command checks through NASA's tracking and data relay satellites, and a post-landing recovery rehearsal. The company stated a target of the fourth quarter of 2026 for launch, with a runway landing planned at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
FAQ
Is it flying today? No. Tenacity has never been to orbit. It is complete and in pre-flight testing, with a first demonstration flight targeted for late 2026.
How many people does it carry? None. This is the uncrewed cargo configuration; Sierra Space has described a crewed variant, but Tenacity is not one.
