Launch is coming soon! The Perseverance spacecraft will start a fully automated green space exploration journey

Author: Duan Yuechu

With the continuous development of science and technology, human beings are exploring the space more and more deeply. Recently, Sierra Space announced that its Shooting Star spacecraft will be launched into space in 2024 on the Vulcan Centaur rocket.

The assembly of the Perseverance spacecraft was completed in early November, and it was then transported from the Sierra Space Facility in Louisville, Colorado, to NASA's Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Ohio for environmental testing. This test is to ensure that the spacecraft can still operate normally in extreme environments and lay the foundation for future space missions.
A highlight of the "Perseverance" spacecraft is its "Dream Chaser" Sierra Space's "Shooting Star" cargo module. The module will be stacked in the launch configuration and exposed to extreme launch vibrations in the mechanical vibration facility. It is worth mentioning that the facility has the world's most powerful vibration table, which will help verify the stability and reliability of the spacecraft during launch.

In addition, the Perseverance spacecraft also has a fully automatic operation and green hydrogen peroxide propulsion system. Fully automatic operation means that the spacecraft will operate more efficiently in space and reduce the risk of human intervention. The hydrogen peroxide propulsion system is an environmentally friendly propulsion method. Compared with traditional chemical propellants, the combustion products of hydrogen peroxide have less impact on the environment, which is conducive to the realization of green space exploration.

References:

Dream Chaser enters final testing ahead of 2024 debut space flight | Space https://www.space.com/dream-chaser-spacecraft-2024-debut-flight-tenacity