Elon Musk is forging ahead with his space plans - reaching a milestone this week as the SpaceX mega rocket flew higher and farther than ever before.
The nearly 400-foot Starship blasted off from Texas on Thursday on its third test flight - and while contact was lost near the end of the hourlong trip, it's still a massive step forward for Musk's company.
Ahead of the launch, Musk posted a video of the Starship on X, the social media company he owns - and it really showed off the incredible scale of the rocket.
The vessel is nearly 121 meters tall and is one of the largest rockets at NASA’s disposal today.
And NASA was no doubt watching the launch with keen interest - as Starship's success will help it with the Artemis mission to get people back on the Moon in the next two or so years.
Advert
The test saw Starship reach 40 miles high, traveling around 16,000 mph - with Musk writing on X: "SpaceX has come a long way."
The bullet-shaped spacecraft launched on a booster known as the Super Heavy. Both of which are meant to be reusable, but they weren't salvaged after this test.
This was Starship's third launch - the first was last April, when several of the booster’s 33 methane-fueled engines failed and the booster did not separate from the spacecraft, causing it to explode and crash down to Earth four minutes after liftoff.
Advert
The second test flight went ahead in November last year and was more successful than the first, doubling the length of flight. The 33 engines fired and the booster managed to separate, before ending in the booster and spacecraft exploding.
The Starship reportedly cost over $5 billion to build and is gigantic in size – not only is it way taller than London's Big Ben, it is 9 meters in diameter.
It’s hoped that the spaceship will be able to carry humans to the Moon - and one day, perhaps even Mars.
Ahead of the latest launch attempt, SpaceX said: “Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test. They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.”
Advert
NASA says an empty Starship has to land successfully on the Moon before any astronauts make the trip in it. And there's a pretty tight timeline, as NASA is hoping to make the first Moon landing under the Artemis program by the end of 2026.