Mini Space Shuttle ‘Dream Chaser’ Sustains Damage on Landing in First Test Flight [VIDEO]

The first test flight of a mini, privately-owned spacecraft, had a rough landing and skid off the runway due to technical glitch. The vehicle was developed in collaboration with NASA to carry astronauts to the space station.

The dream chaser spacecraft that is designed by a Nevada based company Sierra Nevada Corp, is currently recuperating from the damage it sustained when its left landing gear failed to deploy on time due to which the vehicle eventually skid-off the runway. The damage was minor as the flight computers were still functioning. The crew cabin was not damaged.

"The vehicle successfully released from its carrier aircraft, an Erickson Air-Crane helicopter, as planned at approximately 11:10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. Following release, the Dream Chaser spacecraft automated flight control system gently steered the vehicle to its intended glide slope. The vehicle adhered to the design flight trajectory throughout the flight profile. Less than a minute later, Dream Chaser smoothly flared and touched down on Edwards Air Force Base's Runway 22L right on centerline. 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," according to the statement from Sierra Nevada.

The landing used in the test flight was derived from F-5E fighter jet. But this will not be used for the orbital vehicles. The company reports state that the prototype craft can be easily repaired and tests can resume with the current prototype.

The team is investigating the cause for the failure to deploy. Since the command to deploy reached the computer, the team believes that the glitch was mechanical. The preliminary flight data shows that the spacecraft's autonomous landing software managed to deal with the uneven arrival of the gear and balanced the craft on a single wheel for longer than previously thought. Though initially feared, the spacecraft did not flip and suffered a minor damaged. The team hopes that the data retrieved from this test flight may actually accelerate the program.

This incident does not alter the company's timeline. They plan to conduct a pilot test flight next year and hope to ferry astronauts to the outer space by 2017. As a part of a development program, Sierra Nevada will receive $227.5 million from NASA during its current phase of development for Dream Chaser. The spacecraft is the only one among three other designs to have wings. The craft will be launched along with an Atlas 5 rocket.