Kistler Aerospace has completed a successful simulation of a landing by the reusable first stage of the K-1 satellite launcher, using a six-parachute cluster. The company described it as "one of the largest canopy deployments in the world". An instrumented payload was dropped from an aircraft at an altitude of 3.048m (10,000ft) over the Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, and landed beneath 1ha (2.5 acres) of canopy material. Irvin Aerospace is developing the K-1 landing system. A three-parachute test of the recovery of the K-1 second stage took place in March.
Source: Flight International
