[Satellite TODAY 12-26-12] SpaceX’s vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (VTVL), Grasshopper, completed a test flight conducted earlier this month at the company’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas, during which the vehicle rose 131 feet (40 meters) from the ground, hovered and landed safely on the pad using closed loop thrust vector and throttle control.

   SpaceX is developing the Grasshopper VTVL as a means of creating a reusable launch vehicle. The total test duration was 29 seconds. The vehicle stands 10 stories tall and consists of a Falcon 9 rocket first stage, Merlin 1D engine, four steel landing legs with hydraulic dampers, and a steel support structure.

   “The 12-story flight marks a significant increase over the height and length of hover of Grasshopper’s previous test flights, which took place earlier this fall. In September, Grasshopper flew to 1.8 meters (6 feet), and in November, it flew to 5.4 meters (17.7 feet/2 stories) including a brief hover,” SpaceX said in a company statement. “Testing of Grasshopper will continue with successively more sophisticated flights expected over the next several months.”