A cone-shaped experimental launch vehicle partially funded by novelist Tom Clancy took a step closer to a planned launch into space when it took off on its second test flight on September 16.
Pilots of the Roton ATV, which resembles an upside-down ice cream cone, lifted the vehicle to a height of 20 feet, hovered it for around two-and-a-half minutes, and landed it safely with the help of the helicopter blades that surround its top.
The ATV is only a prototype; the real rocket, which the company Rotary Rockets hopes to send up into Earth orbit in 2001, would launch to around 185 miles high, deliver a satellite payload, return through the atmosphere, and gently land on the ground.
In its first flight on July 23, the Roton lifted to a height of eight feet, but hovered only for a few seconds before landing.
This second flight went higher and hovered longer, convincing company officials that the Roton could land safely from any height.
The rocket is designed to fall slowly, breaking its descent with air resistance.
Resistance alone will keep the rocket falling slower than 100 miles per hour, the company says, and automatic rotation of the rocket's helicopter blades will slow it further, allowing it to land gently.
The next liftoff will further test the maneuverability of the Roton as it lifts, floats down a runway, and lands.
A true launch of the Roton into space won't be possible, however, until Rotary Rockets can secure more cash from investors.
The company has already spent the $30 million it has raised, and says it needs another $120 million.
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