Masten Space flying rocket robot lofted over the top - first ever engine relight!

Masten Space Systems XA-0.1B-750 rocket vehicle takes off, translates off the pad, boosts, shuts of the engine, I have a heart attack and die, then it relights the engine and comes back down to the pad. This is the first time a VTVL rocket has relight the engine in flight, ever, in the history of the planet!

Many angles for your viewing pleasure. In the last clip Ian Garcia is running the laptop and telling the rocket to fly, I, Ben Brockert am running the show and operating the super high-tech tracking antenna system, and Randall Clague steps in to congratulate.

Thanks to Mike Massee for the first video.

http://www.masten-space.com/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• masten
• space
• rocket
• coast
• relight
• thrust
• lox
• alcohol
• fire
• dust
• fly
• pixie
• zombie
• xombie

[DonQuichotteLiberia]

Very impressive, I love the active stabilization. Can you give details about the kind of controller/set of sensors/actuators you use to keep it stable? Or are these things classified ;-)

[bbrockert]

@DonQuichotteLiberia It has an inertial measurement unit with three gyroscopes and accelerometers, as well as differential GPS. That lets it know where it is and what orientation it is in. It gimbals the engine to fly, as well as throttling up and down to get desired vertical accelerations.

[CDJSnede]

Did you shut it off on purpose?

Or was it a lucky accident?

[bbrockert]

@CDJSnede Definitely on purpose. That was the objective of the test.

[DonQuichotteLiberia]

@bbrockert Thanks, very nice!

[Rob260259]

Awesome!

[Patriotgal1]

CREW NASA- these people, are WAY ahead of them!! For 1/100% of the cost, I bet!

[Thatboy1980]

i would kill for that job!

[svenp]

That's awesome.

[ianmga]

@robotguy It's about 35cm/s at the time of touches but it does look pretty slow. Less than that and it may not trigger the touchdown checks.

[robotguy]

Every time I see this i am impressed by the smoothness of the landing, X and V and A all just smoothly go to zero.