GoPro Video: Rocket Launch To Space [WATCH]

A 20 foot tall SL-10 rocket was launched into near space by UP Aerospace Inc. on November 6 last year. The aim of the mission was to position the Maraia Capsule and test its payload stability and aerodynamics on entering the atmosphere again. The rocket traveling at speeds of up to 6115 kilometers per hour (Mach 5.5) reached a height of 396,000 feet before engine burnout. The launch was captured by GoPro using a HERO4 camera, and now they have released the stunning footage.

The launch took place from Spaceport America in New Mexico, and it was Colorado based launch provider UP Aerospace's fourth mission for NASA's Flight Opportunities Program. The rocket started to spin rapidly at the beginning of the launch. The condition known as spin stabilization is a common method used for some rocket or satellite launches to control height. The motion of a rocket's axis can be controlled if it's spinning fast enough.

The mission successfully released the nose fairing and ejected Maraia, the 11 pounds re-entry capsule, at the mark of one minute into the flight. The action can be seen at 1:17 in the video. The Maraia was designed and constructed by NASA's Johnson Space Flight Center. In the video, the capsule can be seen entering the atmosphere of the earth around 2:38 minutes. Later on, near the end of the clip, the capsule safely touches down.

NASA tested the landing, descent and entry functions of the Maraia capsule with the suborbital launch. "The new payload deployment capability from UP Aerospace was successfully tested, opening the opportunity for future entry, descent and landing technologies to be tested and matured under Flight Opportunities," said Paul De Leon from NASA. According to the space agency, Maraia is being deemed to become an inexpensive and independent International Space Station (ISS) based vehicle that will offer "on-demand return of small engineering and scientific payloads". 

An earlier footage by UP Aerospace