--- title: "SpaceX’s Starhopper Aces Test Flight to Almost 500 Feet" description: "SpaceX's Starhopper finally launched itself some 150 meters (492 feet) into the air Tuesday evening at the company's Boca Chica test facility in Texas." date: "2019-08-28" modified: "2019-08-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacexs-starhopper-aces-test-flight-500-feet" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "starhopper" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX’s Starhopper Aces Test Flight to Almost 500 Feet ![SpaceX's Starhopper finally launched itself some 150 meters (492 feet) into the air Tuesday evening at the company's Boca Chica test facility in Texas.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## One Big Hop SpaceX's Starhopper finally launched itself some 150 meters (492 feet) into the air Tuesday evening at the company's Boca Chica test facility in Texas. The company's 20-meter Starship test vehicle, [lovingly nicknamed]() "R2D2's Dad," by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, reached its FAA-approved maximum height, flew sideways, and gently made its way down to a landing nearby. "One day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars," [Musk quipped]() on Twitter. https://youtu.be/bYb3bfA6_sQ The test comes after [many delays]() and test failures, including a [massive fireball](). This week's test will be Starhopper's last.The first untethered test flight on July 26 was a success as well. “Starhopper flight successful,” Musk [tweeted]() at the time. “Water towers \*can\* fly haha!!” ## Starship Enterprise Next up are tests for the two full-scale Starship prototypes currently in development at the Boca Chica test site and in Cocoa, Florida. A lot can still go wrong between now and SpaceX's much-awaited Starship's maiden voyage. Starhopper uses only a single Raptor engine — SpaceX plans to stuff six of them into the final version of its gigantic spacecraft. Once Starship is ready — it's too early to tell when that will take place with any certainty — the spacecraft could make history by ferrying up to 100 passengers at a time to the Moon and far beyond. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX launches Starship “hopper” on dramatic test flight]() \[*SpaceFlight Now*\] **More on Starhopper:** *[SpaceX Delays Starhopper’s Final Test Flight Once Again]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()