Video game developer John Carmack and his firm Armadillo Aerospace are developing vertical launch vehicles.
Armadillo Aerospace, a leading developer of reusable rocket-powered vehicles, plans to build suborbital rocketships for space tourists that launch vertically.
Test shot of Dalek, under development by Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas, lifting off from New Mexico’s Spaceport America.
An Armadillo Aerospace rocket launches skyward in a Jan. 28, 2012 test flight from New Mexico’s Spaceport America.
A balloon-parachute recovery system was deployed during a Jan. 28, 2012 flight of an Armadillo Aerospace rocket.
View of the Rio Grande River valley from 239,000 ft (~50 mi) aboard Armadillo Aerospace’s STIG-A 3 rocket launched from Spaceport America, taken January 28, 2012.
An artist's depiction of a suborbital spaceflight offered by Space Adventures aboard an Armadillo Aerospace Vehicle. Seattle's Space Needle is offering a free trip on the spaceship as part of its Space Race 2012 contest.
The STIG A rocket built by Armadillo Aerospace roars skyward from New Mexico’s Spaceport America on Dec. 4, 2011.
View of Earth above Spaceport America from Armadillo Aerospace's STIG A rocket flight at apogee (highest point) on Dec. 4, 2011.
Armadillo Aerospace successfully flies its Scorpius vehicle between two launch pads on Sept. 12, 2009 during a bid to win $1 million in NASAs Lunar Lander Challenge.
Armadillo Aerospace vehicle launches to 2000 ft; shuts down its engine; pops a drogue chute; relights its engine; and makes a pinpoint landing on its launch pad.
Pixel hovers in a tethered test.
Pixel — the Armadillo Aerospace Lunar Lander Challenge competitor — flies high through the sky at the Wirefly X Prize Cup. Craft successfully flew to altitude, hovered, then came down too hard on a landing pad. Damage to Pixel curtailed a reflight today, but fixes overnight may see a return to flight on Saturday.
Lunar Lander Challenge competitor — Pixel — flew successfully again today at the Wirefly X Prize Cup. However, the craft ran into trouble on landing, tipping over and disqualifying the vehicle in a prize competition held early this morning. Built by Armadillo Aerospace, team engineers are looking over the craft in hopes of reflying and competing the hardware again today.
Armadillo Aerospace patch for Lunar Lander Challenge.
Armadillo Aerospace's Pixel lunar lander entry hovers above its launch pad during a test.
Pixel took flight multiple times during the Wirefly X Prize Cup held October 2006, with the Armadillo Aerospace craft nearly winning major NASA prize money in a Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.
Before moving to the launch site, Armadillo Aerospace team members tend to their vehicles on Saturday, October 27, 2007, the first day of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.
Armadillo Aerospace's entry in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, the MOD, burst into flames shortly after engine ignition during its third and final attempt in 2007.
Armadillo Aerospace won Level 1 of the 2008 Lunar Lander Challenge with two successful flights of its Pixel vehicle.
An artist's illustration of the view from Space Adventures' 2-person suborbital spacecraft being built with Armadillo Aerospace.
An artist's illustration of the view from Space Adventures' 2-person suborbital spacecraft being built with Armadillo Aerospace.
The thin blue line seen at 100,000 ft. represents the kind of view a space tourist might hope to get from a Space Adventures' spacecraft built by Armadillo Aerospace.
An artist's illustration of the view from Space Adventures' 2-person suborbital spacecraft being built with Armadillo Aerospace.
An artist's illustration of a two-passenger vehicle designed to give panoramic views of Earth during suborbital flights. The concept was a joint project in 2008 by Armadillo Aerospace and the Rocket Racing League.
