First launched on September 12, 2012, SpaceX's Grasshopper rocket began undergoing test flights in order to help the company determine whether or not reusing rockets after space launches was achievable. Since then, the company has been making great strides on the subject matter.
Just last week, after completing a launch to deliver ORBCOMM satellites into orbit, SpaceX announced that their Falcon 9 rocket, which conducted the mission, safely and softly landed in the Atlantic Ocean after successfully returning back into the Earth's atmosphere. Although the landing resulted in a breach in the rocket booster's hull, the company believes they are closer than ever to accomplishing their goal.
SpaceX's pioneering effort began with the Grasshopper - the company's reusable rocket prototype. They wrapped up its program in 2013 after conducting a number of test launches in which the vertical-takeoff-and-landing rocket would progressively ascend higher in each mission to test its ability to land from a number of altitudes. In its final test on October 7, 2013, the Grasshopper launched a half-mile into the air and successfully hovered over and landed back on the launch pad. Its aluminum landing legs with hydraulic dampers, along with a number of other factors, are a key component in solving the reusability issue.
"For the first time in this test, Grasshopper made use of its full navigation sensor suite with the Falcon 9 Reusable closed loop control flight algorithms to accomplish a precision landing," said SpaceX officials in this Space.com article. "Most rockets are equipped with sensors to determine position, but these sensors are generally not accurate enough to accomplish the type of precision landing necessary with Grasshopper."
The first attempt to safely land the Falcon 9 rocket, following the Grasshopper tests, occurred in April after SpaceX conducted a commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. The Falcon 9 landed safely in the Atlantic, but it was destroyed by severe waves. On the second go around last week, the company was able to direct the Falcon 9 to calm waters in the Atlantic, but its impact with the water caused a loss of hull integrity. However, with all of the information gathered, company officials believe they now possess the ability to fully manipulate the rocket's landing to ensure its safety.
"We received all the necessary data to achieve a successful landing on a future flight," said officials in this SpaceX news release. "Going forward, we are taking steps to minimize the buildup of ice and spots on the camera housing in order to gather improved video on future launches. At this point, we are highly confident of being able to land successfully on a floating launch pad or back at the launch site and re-fly the rocket with no required refurbishment."
SpaceX anticipates this will be accomplished in the near future, with its 14th and 15th flights of the Falcon 9 rocket which are scheduled for October and December.
