SpaceX's Grasshopper--Retired...

Likely to show up in a SpaceX museum that I can imagine will be breaking ground soon the Grasshopper Vertical Take Off and Land rocket has been officially retired by SpaceX.

After successfully reaching a height of 2,440 feet on its sixth test flight and also performing an earlier "divert" maneuver where the rocket moved horizontally away from its launching pad and then return to its exact starting location, the Grasshopper will now become a Wikipedia footnote and static display somewhere.

In truth SpaceX has already begun moving on to the next steps in its process by reigniting the engines of its most recent full rocket launch just before its disintegration upon re-entry and is now moving to test its new methane powered "Raptor" rocket engine in Stennis, Mississippi and launch additional upgraded Falcon rockets to both the ISS and for satellite placement.

Continuing to move forward on all these projects brings Musk's desire for a rapidly repeatable, heavy lift capable and economic lift capacity closer to reality.

Grasshopper Is Retired...

Brilliant: SpaceX Grasshopper Conducts Lateral Flight Test

Awesome to see the Grasshopper making consistent progress!  Here we have the first lateral flight test for the VTVL rocket where it moves some 1000+ feet away from its landing/launching pad before returning to ground zero.  Of particular note here is that it was on just such a test as this that the NASA Delta Clipper experimental vehicle had a catastrophic failure thus ending that program in the mid 1990's.

Mr. Musk's programs continue to impress (as well as his engineers who appear to be the best in the world currently at developing space/rocket technology---Oh what I would do to work there!!)

Latest SpaceX Grasshopper Flight...

I've been following along for some time, SpaceX's progress with their vertical takeoff and landing rocket program dubbed "Grasshopper".  I own stock in SpaceX's primary publicly traded competitor, Orbital, but this is another big step in the right direction for SpaceX and will end up offering something no one else in the world can do.

As it stands now SpaceX is the sole delivery agent for NASA to the ISS.  Orbital launched its own rocket this past weekend in a near end stage test and should have its own rocket ready to deliver cargo to the ISS by year end.  Even after this SpaceX's system will be the only one able to bring stuff BACK from the ISS as Orbital's system burns up upon reentry.  With Grasshopper SpaceX takes things one step further.  Grasshopper will be able to eliminate recovery costs by landing on its own or similar landing pad and make the entire system reusable vs. just the cargo pod.

Video here of last week's Grasshopper test in which the rocket now ascends to 250 meters and lands perfectly on its pad. They seem to be quadrupling the height of each test and I would expect the next one to reach 1000 meters.

SpaceX Merlin 1D Engine Gets Approval...

Wasting no time on their Falcon rocket program which is already transporting equipment back and forth to the ISS, SpaceX has already gotten an upgraded version of the engine powering said rocket in production.

The new Merlin 1D engine has been approved after going through a rigorous testing program (video of some of which can be seen below).  The new engine will be installed on the Falcon series of rockets beginning this summer.  Achievements for this rocket include the highest thrust (measured at 147,000 lbs) to weight ratio of any liquid fuel rocket in history and a 50% decrease in parts and cost.  This is also the rocket that will be used on the Grasshopper program as well.  Love what SpaceX is doing and accomplishing...Love it!

SpaceX Grasshopper--A New High!

SpaceX has continued, beyond its efforts in getting cargo to the ISS with its Dragon launch vehicles, to develop its Grasshopper vertical take off and landing rocket.  They've been taking it nice and slow with each little hop getting higher and higher.  This past week's launch took the Grasshopper up to some 263 feet, performed a brief hover and then returned to its launching pad without a hiccup or wobble.

The article states that SpaceX is developing the Grasshopper in order to reduce launch costs BUT that reusable launch vehicles have often been MORE expensive than disposable ones due to the extra protection/weight that is required.  To me this is a false argument as all prior reusable vehicles have been developed on the premise of an extremely fast reentry necessitating all the additional heat shielding and either glider or capsule reentry design.  With a VTOL launch vehicle you reduce the reentry speed to zero and eliminate all the extra gear needed for the friction protection.  Its a new model of launch and reuse, time to rethink basic assumptions.

SpaceX Grasshopper launch...

SpaceX Grasshopper Test Video

SpaceX continues its march forward.

While its commercial flights servicing both governmentall and private business demands via its standard launch systems it is also working hard on its Grasshopper program which will eventually (hopefully) result in a completely vertical take off and landing program designed to return the launch vehicle to its launch site autonomously upon completion of its mission.

SpaceX has been ramping this program up bit by bit with short test flights.  This most recent test took the Grasshopper up to 12 stories and then returned to its platform.  Its funny to watch as at any moment I expect the rocket to turn sideways and explode as was often the case with many Nazi and Soviet (and a few US) launch attempts when they were first starting out.  It almost seems unnatural for a rocket to not either shoot skyward or else end in disaster.  Watching it land on its gear so softly and without a fuss is an odd thing.

The ability to return to its launch facility in this manner is designed to cut costs and increase the speed at which launches can occur--a necessary step for sending large amounts of equipment, supplies and people to Mars.
SpaceX Launches Grasshopper Rocket 12 Stories High...