Dream Chaser Prototype Malfunctions in First Free-flying Test Run

The private spaceflight company Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) encountered a glitch during the latest test run of its Dream Chaser spacecraft prototype when the vehicle's left wheel failed to deploy upon landing.

The unmanned flight marked the first time the Dream Chaser flew freely through the air, having successfully completed a captive-carry test in August.

Despite the malfunction, the vehicle sustained minimal damage, according to SNC officials.

"The entire interior of the vehicle, the pressure vessel as we call it -- the crew compartment -- is completely untouched by the incident," Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC"s Space Systems, stated in a press conference, Space.com reported.

Officials further stressed that hiccups like the one that occurred are to be expected during test flights, and that the flight proved successful otherwise.

"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," a company statement said, further noting "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."

The Dream Chaser, constructed as a reusable spacecraft capable of carrying out a runway landing, is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Capability initiative, aimed at developing "a next-generation crew transportation vehicle" to one day ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. In all, the Dream Chaser program receives $227.5 million from the space agency, NBC reports.

In a statement back in August, Sirangelo said: "We look forward to seeing Dream Chaser land on the same runway as the space shuttle orbiters once did as we move forward in the development of the next-generation crew transportation vehicle."