DreamWeaver
 DreamWeaver launching in 1982 | |
| Country of origin | Cacerta Republic of Syara |
|---|---|
| Operator | Ristar |
| Applications | Crewed orbital flight and re-entry |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Orbiter |
| Launch mass | 105 tons |
| Payload capacity | 30 tons |
| Crew capacity | 11 |
| Dimensions | Length: 36.37 m Wingspan: 23.92 m |
| Production | |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Built | 1 |
| Launched | 1 |
| Lost | 1 |
DreamWeaver (Cacertian: SogniTessitore, Syaran: CоништатаТкајач, SoništataTkajač) was a space plane built by Cacerta and the Republic of Syara as part of the Ristar program. The DreamWeaver was designed as a reusable spacecraft that would assist in the transporting of supplies and equipment into space, while also providing a means to recover and repair satellites. The DreamWeaver was in many ways intended to be the apex of the Ristar program, while also helping in the construction of the Aurora space station. DreamWeaver was the largest and most expensive element of Ristar and quickly dominated the program, to the detriment of other efforts to include the Aurora station. Construction of DreamWeaver began in 1976 and was expected to finish in 1980, but the craft was not ready until 1981. A total of five DreamWeaver-class orbiters were intended to be made, but only one was ever constructed.
The idea of a reusable spacecraft had been among the first ideas floated by Ristar as a means of savings on cost and time between payload launches for operations in space. One of the main drivers for construction of the DreamWeaver as a reusable spacecraft would have the ability to recover objects already in orbit, such as damaged satellites or modules in need of repair or maintenance that was better done on the ground rather than in zero-gravity. Several proposals for the design of what would become the DreamWeaver were floated between 1970-1975 before the final model was approved and construction began. After the program had been announced, a public relations campaign began to drum up enthusiasm for the project, including a write-in campaign to determine the name of the craft. "DreamWeaver" was selected among thousands of suggestions, and afterwards came to refer not only to the first model but the entire class as well.
DreamWeaver was built as a "glider" as its main structural component, with wings located to the rear of the main body. The craft was covered in 38,600 heat shielding tiles to protect it during reentry. A cabin of all-metal, welded and pressurized compartment existed for the crew, housing workplaces, life support systems, and controls for the spacecraft. Ejection seats were fitted in at the request of Syaran designers despite their limited usage in many scenarios. To reach space, DreamWeaver was propelled by the Harpax super-heavy lift rocket system, consisting of a core stage and up to four boosters, with a total capable lift capacity of 100 tons. Harpax was not configured into the DreamWeaver and could be launched separately carrying other payloads; with a maximum capacity of 100 tons it could transport large quantities into space on its own. Harpax was liquid fueled, a design feature insisted upon by Syaran engineers for safety reasons. On its own, DreamWeaver could carry 30 tons. Efforts were made towards making the DreamWeaver fully automated, capable of take off, flight, and landing all based on computer control, but this was never fully implemented.
DreamWeaver proved incredibly popular with the public and was credited with causing a public shift towards perceptions of commercial space travel and space tourism, with the idea of a reusable space plan making both ideas seem much closer. Despite their popularity, internal views from the Syaran Space Agency and the Cacertian Interstellar Exploration Institute were more mixed. Syaran planners often pointed towards the redundancy of services offered by the DreamWeaver, as the Strelka rockets also produced by Syara could deliver similar payloads at a much cheaper price per launch, at the cost of not being reusable. Cacertian officials tended to view the idea of using the DreamWeaver for supporting the Aurora space station as a waste of resources, and instead favored utilizing DreamWeaver to jump start further and farther expeditions into space.
Despite internal disagreement, DreamWeaver was finalized and construction completed in the spring of 1981, and unveiled at the Zovahr airshow in September of that year atop the super heavy lift jet aicraft Ra-79. The DreamWeaver quickly captured the public's imagination and enthusiasm for the program resulted in millions tuning in to watch the first launch of the spacecraft. On 23 May 1982 DreamWeaver launched from Vyerzhany Space Port, watched by both Krunislav Mircevski and King Doriano and piloted by Branimir Vuksan and Mancio Sarto. DreamWeaver orbited the world twice before landing down safely back at Vyerzhany, immediately creating a mass public sensation around the space craft.
Hopes that DreamWeaver would quickly turn into an efficient launch program however quickly dissipated. The expensive, complex aircraft had delayed construction of Aurora, and as priority switched back to the space station Ristar's progress on a second DreamWeaver, called "StarChaser", stalled. After nearly three years StarChaser was just 20% complete and behind schedule. DreamWeaver flew again in November 1982, taking off from Vyerzhany on 11 November and returning three days later after an extended period in low orbit. A third mission was launched on 2 June 1983, the first real objective-based mission of DreamWeaver, during which aethernaut Helvia Parata conducted the first and only extra-vehicular activity out of DreamWeaver by recovering Intelser A11 over the course of 2 hours and 23 minutes, safely returning to Vyerzhany on 9 June.
With StarChaser still lagging behind, DreamWeaver remained the sole craft of its type available for use. Having demonstrated its (costly) utility, DreamWeaver was set to begin shuttling payloads and supplies into space to support Aurora when political developments in Syara brought an end to the program. Following the Refusal Crisis in December 1983, and the subsequent outbreak of the Refusal War, Ristar ceased all operations out of Syara. DreamWeaver was still in Vyerzhany as Syara became engulfed in civil war. Efforts to extradite DreamWeaver to Cacerta for safe keeping were untenable due to the fighting. During the Warden Coastal Offensive the hangar containing DreamWeaver was struck by artillery and the craft was destroyed; the origin of the artillery fire has never been conclusively established.
While a marvel of technology and a public favorite, DreamWeaver remained a questionable direction for manned spaceflight. Following the end of the Refusal War and the establishment of the Commonality, the prospect of revitalizing the DreamWeaver project was broached to Syara by Cacerta in 1993. An exploratory committee was formed in 1995, but in 1997 the group concluded that the cost of the program would outstrip its benefits and would ultimately not succeed in the development of cheaper, reusable spacecraft. Despite the ultimate failure of the program, DreamWeaver remains among the best known projects of both the Cacertian and Syaran space programs, and it's likeness has been regularly reproduced in popular media.