The Briefing Room

State Chapters => Texas => Topic started by: Elderberry on July 27, 2019, 03:58:35 am

Title: SpaceX flies Starhopper test vehicle for first time
Post by: Elderberry on July 27, 2019, 03:58:35 am
Space News by Jeff Foust — July 26, 2019

SpaceX performed a first, brief flight of a prototype of its next-generation launch system July 25 as the company makes plans for more ambitious tests.

The prototype vehicle, named Starhopper, fired its single Raptor engine and lifted off its pad at SpaceX’s South Texas test facility near Brownsville, Texas, around 11:45 p.m. Eastern. Nighttime conditions, along with a large plume created by the engine, made it difficult to see the vehicle, but it appeared to rise several meters off the ground and remain airborne for 10 to 15 seconds before touching back down on the same pad.

More: https://spacenews.com/spacex-flies-starhopper-test-vehicle-for-first-time/ (https://spacenews.com/spacex-flies-starhopper-test-vehicle-for-first-time/)