These photos of Stoke Space's 'Hopper' reusuable rocket test are just amazing

Stoke Space shared stunning new photos from a recent flight test of the company’s Hopper reusable rocket prototype.

The flight test, called Hopper2, included a vertical takeoff and vertical landing demonstration, during which the reusable second-stage rocket successfully lifted about 30 feet (9 meters) off the ground and then safely touched down in its targeted landing zone after 15 seconds of flight.

The recent photos that Stoke Space shared on X (formerly Twitter) show the spacecraft on the launch pad at the company’s test site in Moses Lake, Washington, along with the bright blaze ignited by the rocket’s hydrogen/oxygen engine during liftoff.

The test, performed on Sept. 17, was meant to demonstrate several of Hopper’s systems and design elements, including its novel hydrogen/oxygen engine, coolant-based heat shield and a propulsion system that maneuvers the rocket by throttling its different engines.

While the spacecraft didn’t directly experience the heat from hypersonic reentry to Earth’s atmosphere during its test flight, it has successfully operated at 100% of the expected heat load in a simulated environment, bringing the company one step closer towards developing fully reusable rockets.

a cylindrical silver rocket stage flies low to the ground, with orange flames erupting from its base.

The Hopper2 demonstration flight tested the spacecraft’s hydrogen/oxygen engine, coolant-based heat shield and propulsion system. (Image credit: Stoke Space)

“This test was the last test in our Hopper technology demonstration program. We successfully completed all of the planned objectives,” the company said in a statement announcing the successful test launch. “We’ve also proven that our novel approach to robust and rapidly reusable space vehicles is technically sound, and we’ve obtained an incredible amount of data that will enable us to confidently evolve the vehicle design from a technology demonstrator to a reliable reusable space vehicle.”

Following the successful test of the second stage rocket, Stoke Space will now shift its focus to developing a reusable first stage in order to reach the company’s goal of building a 100% reusable rocket with a turnaround time of just 24 hours.

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