On April 18, 2014, SpaceX made a world-first controlled splashdown of the first stage of a Falcon 9, during a Dragon spacecraft resupply run to the International Space Station.Īfter several water landings, SpaceX tried to make a world-first attempt for a barge landing in January 2015 during a cargo flight to the International Space Station. SpaceX then decided to retire the prototype in favor of using the personnel and money for other programs, notably the Falcon 9 rocket. 7, 2013, when the rocket flew 2,441 feet (744 m) into the air, making a flawless takeoff and landing in a flight that lasted about 79 seconds. A subsequent flight test in August included a 100-foot lateral or sideways maneuver before the rocket touched down safely on the ground. In June 2013, Grasshopper leaped 1,066 feet (325 m) and made a near-perfect landing. The company filmed the rocket flights from the air using autonomous aircraft, providing high-definition views that it uploaded to the Web for sharing.Īmong Grasshopper's notable flights was a jump in April 2013 that saw the 10-story vehicle fly 820 feet (250 m) high. It also flew several hundred feet high on a few occasions. Over several test flights in 2013, Grasshopper demonstrated an ability to fight back against wind gusts, as well as to move sideways in the air to its target. The next test in November saw the rocket go about 18 feet (5.5 m) in the air, and then a big test in December saw the rocket soar more than 130 feet (39.6 m) high. With each subsequent flight, the company then tried to shoot a bit higher or do something different.

21, 2012, when Grasshopper made a quick six-foot (1.8-meter) jump up and down at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas. The first test flight of the rocket took place Sept. (Image credit: SpaceX) The six-foot flight This still was taken from a video recorded by a small unmanned hexacopter. SpaceX's reusable Grasshopper rocket prototype rises skyward from its McGregor, Texas launch pad during a Jtest flight that reached 1,066 feet (325 meters) before descending back to Earth.

Grasshopper with magic flight orbiter