A
privately-built moon lander prototype lifted off on a test flight Thursday
during a successful check of its propulsion system.
The Poway, Calif.-based firm, SpaceDev, launched the lunar
lander prototype approximately 35 feet (10.7 meters) into the air on a
tether, where it hovered before descending for a careful landing. The test
represents the first ever for a hybrid rocket powered lander vehicle.
SpaceDev is
working with the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) to
ultimately land a spacecraft on the south pole of the Moon for astrophysics and
communication research.
"This is an
exciting project that has shown not only the versatility of our hybrid motors,
but also SpaceDev's high levels of responsiveness and efficiency," said Mark Sirangelo,
SpaceDev's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "We see many important
applications for our throttleable rockets, and we look forward to continuing
our relationship with ILOA as well as our research and development of lander
vehicles."
The lander
prototype has four hybrid rocket motors that contain both solid and liquid fuel
— a combination of non-explosive materials that supposedly reduces the chance
for accidents. The liquid fuel also permits throttling by controlling fuel flow
and acceleration.
SpaceDev
previously worked with Mojave, Calif.'s Scaled
Composites to produce the reusable
hybrid rocket motor that launched SpaceShipOne, the privately-developed,
piloted spacecraft that won the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004.
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