SpaceX Dragon Successfully Docked With The Space Station


At 10:06am Eastern time, the SpaceX Dragon successfully berthed with the International Space Station, marking the fourth time that one of the company’s Dragon spacecraft has made the trip...

SpaceX’s ‘Grasshopper’ vertical takeoff / vertical landing rocket takes its first small leap (video)

SpaceX's 'Grasshopper' vertical takoff  vertical landing rocket takes its first small hop video

This test-firing may not match the flame of earlier demonstrations, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted out a brief eight-second video of another setup it's testing, the "Grasshopper" reusable vertical takeoff, vertical landing rocket. While the first hop would've been shamed in any interstellar dunk contest, future tests will range in height from a few hundred feet to two miles. The goal is to eventually create a reusable first stage for its Falcon 9 rocket, able to land safely instead of crashing into the sea and being damaged beyond repair. Hit the more coverage links for a few more details on the project as well as pictures of it at the Texas test site, or check after the break to see the video.

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SpaceX's 'Grasshopper' vertical takeoff / vertical landing rocket takes its first small leap (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 00:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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