(Sen) - SpaceX's Grasshopper, a prototype vehicle developed to
test vertical takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) technology that
would enable rockets to return to their launch pads, had its
first test flight 'hop' on Friday 21 September. The Grasshopper
launched about 6 feet and landed on its steel legs during the
brief flight at the company's McGregor test facility in Texas.
SpaceX are planning to build a fully reusable launch service and
the Grasshopper is being used to develop the technology that the
pioneering space company hopes to use on future rocket launches.
The Grasshopper consists of a Falcon 9 first stage, a Merlin-1D
engine, four steel landing legs and a steel support structure.
The next milestone for the Grasshopper is to hover at about 100
feet and then return to its launch pad. According to SpaceX,
this goal could be achieved within a few months. SpaceX
Grasshopper first test flight hop. Credit: SpaceX Reusability is
seen as a key development for future spaceflight to keep launch
costs low and to