SpaceX’s F9R reusable rocket prototype launches on its first test flight, a vertical liftoff and landing test that carried the rocket 250 meters above a test pad in McGregor, Texas.
SpaceX’s F9R is a testbed for reusable rocket technology. It is a Falcon 9 v1.1 booster rocket first stage equipped with nine rocket engines and four fold-down landing legs. SpaceX’s smaller reusable rocket testbed, nicknamed Grasshopper, can be seen in the background in this video.
Credit: SpaceX
