The Project Morpheus beta prototype lander touched down in the autonomous landing and hazard avoidance technology, or ALHAT, hazard field after launching on its fourth free flight test at the north end of the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is the program's sixth free flight overall. The 64-second test began at 1:15 p.m. EST with the Morpheus lander launching from the ground over a flame trench and ascending about 305 feet, significantly increasing the ascent velocity from the last test. The lander flew forward, covering about 358 feet in 25 seconds before descending and landing within 15 inches of its target on a dedicated pad inside the ALHAT hazard field. Project Morpheus tests NASA’s ALHAT and an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and methane, or green propellants, into a fully-operational lander that could deliver cargo to other planetary surfaces. The landing facility provides the lander with the kind of field necessary for realistic testing, complete with rocks, craters and hazards to avoid. Morpheus’ ALHAT payload allows it to navigate to clear landing sites amidst rocks, craters and other hazards during its descent. Project Morpheus is being managed under the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. The efforts in AES pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit.
<bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117448892" class="extiw" title="d:Q117448892"><span title="NASA photographer">Kim Shiflett</span></a>
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