Space/Aerospace Projects Moving Forward in Florida

May 20, 2024

Dream Chaser Ready for Trip to Florida for ULA Vulcan Launch

Sierra Space says it is ready to ship its Dream Chaser vehicle to Florida. The company announced it wrapped up environmental testing of the cargo spaceplane at NASA’s Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio, putting it through shock, vibration and thermal vacuum tests. The spacecraft will go to Florida for a final round of tests and payload integration work ahead of a launch later this year on a ULA Vulcan.

Source: Space News

Blue Origin Infrastructure Development Continues at Cape Canaveral Spaceport

The sprawling Blue Origin facility at Exploration Park is seeing some new additions. The new Composite Assembly Building – now to become the Lunar Assembly Facility – on the south side has seen progress in building up its foundation, with rebar installation spotted along with workers and vehicles on the site.

Additional land near this building is also being prepared, with piles of sand having been spread out since April. A new parking lot on the north side has had its foundation laid out, and a new office building is to be constructed by that lot.

New Glenn preparations for its first flight, scheduled by the end of this calendar year, are proceeding, with some hardware being seen for the new heavy-lift rocket. A second stage, thought to be flight hardware, was spotted being tested in the 2CAT building. This stage does not have its paint job or presumably its engines yet but seemed to be undergoing pressure testing.

Source: NSF