SpaceX’s Falcon 9 recently completed a divert test including a 250 m flight. Image credit: SpaceX

[Satellite TODAY 08-15-13] On Aug. 13, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 test rig using the code name Grasshopper completed a divert test. The test included a 250 m altitude flight with a 100 m lateral maneuver, before returning to the center of the pad. The test demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to perform more aggressive steering maneuvers than have been attempted in previous flights.

        Grasshopper is taller than a ten-story building, which makes control particularly challenging. “Diverts like this are an important part of the trajectory in order to land the rocket precisely back at the launch site after reentering from space at hypersonic velocity,” SpaceX said in a written statement.