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The successful test of the demonstrator of the future SpaceX giant launcher looks like a déjà vu …
August 27 at 22:03 UTC, on the occasion of the new test carried out at Boca Chica, Texas, SpaceX'S Starhopper (demonstrator of the future giant launcher Spatialship) performed a free vertical flight lasted a little over 57 seconds.
It peaked at 150 m before a soft landing in the center of the planned area, a few tens of meters from the take-off point.
The Starhopper, which looks like a pressure cooker covered in stainless steel – making it so bright – was powered by a single Raptor engine.
Check the test here: https://youtu.be/bYb3bfA6_sQ
A feeling of déjà vu.
The test really looks like those of the DC-X (Delta Clipper Experimental) – an SSTO prototype of a reusable one-stage orbital launcher developed between 1991 and 1997 by McDonnell Douglas for defense then the Nasaand able to perform a vertical takeoff and landing.
The machine had a height of 12 m and weighed 9.1 t.
The second test flight of its "advanced" DC-XA version, which took place in June 1996, peaked at 3,140 meters above sea level.
Check the test here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=o2sHf-udJI8&feature=youtu.be
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