Cool HD video, F9R First Flight Test

Video of Falcon 9 Reusable (F9R) taking its first test flight at our rocket development facility. F9R lifts off from a launch mount to a height of approximately 250m, hovers and then returns for landing just next to the launch stand. Early flights of F9R will take off with legs fixed in the down position. However, we will soon be transitioning to liftoff with legs stowed against the side of the rocket and then extending them just before landing.

The F9R testing program is the next step towards reusability following completion of the Grasshopper program last year (Grasshopper can be seen in the background of this video). Future testing, including that in New Mexico, will be conducted using the first stage of a F9R as shown here, which is essentially a Falcon 9 v1.1 first stage with legs. F9R test flights in New Mexico will allow us to test at higher altitudes than we are permitted for at our test site in Texas, to do more with unpowered guidance and to prove out landing cases that are more-flight like.

I thought this was a cool video, I checked and may have missed it if was already posted, if not

Enjoy

a reply to: SLAYER69

I thought this was a cool video

And you are right.

You don't get to see that view of a launch very often..

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

In all the old '50s' sci-fi movies, the rockets of the 'Future' would launch and land upright.

We be in da future now

I'm pretty sure that thing blows per second what I make in a month lol. ( fuel ).

I wish I could look at this and go like woaah, but 50 years later and they still show off this primitive tech as "new".

The F9R looks like a finished product when compared to NASA version and test flight two weeks later.



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