Space X Grasshopper Rocket VTVL Video Will Amaze You

The Space X Grasshopper Rocket, which is a vertical takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) rocket, is going to blow you away in the new test video which was released on Friday. The good folks at Space X used a copter drone to take test footage from above the test launch and return of an experimental Grasshopper Rocket that went up on June 14.

You’ll want to see this one for yourself, so hit that button and take a look.

As you can see, it’s absolutely amazing. The VTVL rocket goes straight up for a new record height of 1,066 feet and then comes straight back down to land in exactly the same spot. Talk about precision. It almost looks like they just rewound the tape on the thing, doesn’t it?

The folks at Space X said in their statement that it’s the first time that the Grasshopper Rocket has made use of its full navigation sensor suite to make sure it can return to exactly the right spot.

The 10-story Grasshopper is being developed as part of a longtime dream to create reusable rockets that can return to earth intact. Most rockets, as you probably already know, burn up in the earth’s atmosphere after they’ve delivered their payload into space — hopefully without too much drama.

However, the ultimate goal of the Grasshopper is for the rocket to actually be able to enter space and then return to the earth’s atmosphere without being destroyed by the resulting heat. And, of course, they’d like it to park in its usual parking space as well.

The success of the Space X Grasshopper is a far cry from that other recent rocket launch — the Proton-M rocket that was launched Tuesday morning on live TV in Russia only to blow up within seconds of taking off.

Are you impressed with the new Space X Grasshopper Rocket’s newest test?