The independent rocket building company SpaceX has successfully tested a reusable rocket that could someday help cut down on the expense and waste of launching objects into space.
The Grasshopper rocket flew 131 feet straight up into the air above the launch pad, hovered for nearly half a minute, and gently lowered itself back to the ground, still upright.
The rocket itself is 10 stories tall. This is the third successful test of the Grasshopper. In November, the rocket reached a height of 17 feet in a flight that lasted 8 seconds, while the first test in September reached 6 feet for 3 seconds -- short hops that give the rocket its name.
It has four spring-like legs that allow it to stand, take off and land upright.
Most of the components of space missions are single-use. While NASA's space shuttles were built for reentry to bring back astronauts, the rockets they needed to ride to get into space were jettisoned to burn up or fall into the ocean.
Reusable rockets would be the first step toward vehicles actually capable of flight in both an atmosphere and space, a feat only currently possible in science fiction.
SpaceX is one of a new kind of private company venturing into space technology. They recently delivered a payload to the international space station, and are planning eventual missions to Mars.
The company is the brainchild of Elon Musk, the PayPal cofounder turned inventor and entrepreneur. Musk also cofounded the electric car company Tesla Motors, whose Tesla Model S won MotorTrend's prestigious Car of the Year Award for 2012, the first time an entirely electric powered vehicle took the title.
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