SpaceX’s Grasshopper flies 820 feet, tripling its March 7th leap.
Grasshopper is a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle that SpaceX has designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. While most rockets are designed to burn up in the atmosphere during reentry, SpaceX’s rockets are being designed to return to the launch pad for a vertical landing.
Since last September, Grasshopper has been exponentially increasing its launch altitude over a series of test flights. Back in December, the spacecraft rose to a height of 130 feet before returning to Earth. Its last trial run, in March, saw it soar to 263 feet.
VTVL is a crucial technology for SpaceX, which hopes to implement the reusable launch system in its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
Filed under: Manned Space Flight
