Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s (SpaceX) Grasshopper reusable vertical takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) rocket reached its highest altitude of 744 meters in its latest flight Oct. 7, the company said on its YouTube channel.
Grasshopper, also known as the Falcon 9 test rig, is a 10-story vehicle designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to earth intact, the company said. While most rockets are designed to burn up on atmosphere re-entry, SpaceX rockets are being designed not only to withstand re-entry, but also to return to the launch pad for a vertical landing.
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| SpaceX’s Grasshopper reusable vertical takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) vehicle. Photo: SpaceX. |
Grasshopper in August completed a divert test, flying to a 250 meter altitude with a 100 meter lateral maneuver, before returning to the center of the launch pad. The test demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to perform more aggressive steering maneuvers than have been attempted in previous flights. SpaceX said diverts like this are an important part of the trajectory to land the rocket precisely back at the launch site after reentering from space at hypersonic velocity.
Grasshopper in June flew to a height of 325 meters. SpaceX said Wednesday the Oct. 7 test was Grasshopper’s last scheduled test and that next will be low altitude tests of the Falcon 9 Reusable (F9R) development vehicle in Texas followed by high altitude testing in New Mexico.