SpaceX launched a 16-story prototype of its Starship Mars rocket system 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) above Boca Chica, Texas on Tuesday.
After delays and a flap with the FAA, the Mars rocket prototype ran a vertical 10K on Tuesday.
The four-person expedition is expected to launch into orbit sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.
SpaceX announced plans for the first all-civilian mission to space, a major milestone for private spaceflight and the nascent space tourism industry.
Starship SN9 is continuing to wait for clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ahead of her test flight, with a launch date still up in the air. Although the overall schedule delay is relatively short, pent-up production cadence saw SN10 jump at the opportunity to roll down Boca Chica’s Highway 4 late last week.
Dr. Fatima Ebrahimi designed a fusion rocket that uses magnetic fields to shoot plasma particles from a craft, which could take humans to Mars 10 times faster than current devices.
Behold, Starships SN9 and SN10.
SpaceX has two Starship vehicles, SN9 and SN10, on the test pad at the same time at its South Texas facility, a first for the company.
The unique design of the plasma thruster could enable spacecraft to travel to distant planets much faster than they can now.
