SUMMARY: NASA has successfully tested two small aerospike solid rocket engines, demonstrating the capabilities of this new technology. An aerospike engine is like a regular rocket, but flipped inside out. Instead of the traditional bell-shaped nozzle, and aerospike can change the flow of its exhaust throughout its flight, maximizing its performance. The two 3-metre rockets reached Mach 1.5 and an altitude of 8,000 metres. This is the first time aerospike engines have actually been tested in flight.

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