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SpaceX's Reusable Rocket Hits Another Milestone

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Yesterday, SpaceX hit another milestone in its ongoing research effort to build a reusable rocket. That rocket, dubbed "Grasshopper," has so far had several successful tests, with each successive test putting the rocket further and further up in the air, then returning safely to Earth.

The test yesterday was a "divert test." The rocket flew vertically up 250 meters into the air. The rocket moved laterally 100 meters, then moved back and landed on its launch pad.

"The test demonstrated the vehicle's ability to perform more aggressive steering maneuvers than have been attempted in previous flights," the company said in a statement.

So what's the big deal about this test? Well, a reusable rocket is an important part of making space travel less expensive in the future. But it's equally important that the rocket return to where it launched from - or at least know exactly where it's going to land. If the rocket could only descend vertically, it could land virtually anywhere - not exactly the safest way to handle it.

"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," the company's statement concluded.

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You can see a video of the test below:

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