Elon Musk told "Wired" magazine that SpaceX had begun testing on the "Grasshopper Project" in November 2012.
Six months later, the Grasshopper Project has reached crazy new heights.
The Grasshopper is a 10-story tall rocket equipped with technology that can take off and land vertically – leaving the rocket intact and able to be reused.
In the most recent SpaceX video, the Grasshopper launches and hovers at 820 feet before landing safely. To put into perspective how vast of an improvement that is, this vertical distance more than triples its previous test launch of 262.8 feet.
Here's a look at the Grasshopper landing safely from 820 feet above the ground:
And watch the entire video of the launch, hovering, and landing below: