At 10:44 p.m. the hopper’s engines ignited and a spectacular orange cloud surrounded the rocket as it lifted off the launch pad and hovered for about 20 seconds.
Comparing photographs taken moments before and after the hover it appears the hopper moved to the left after it landed. The rocket was expected to go up 60 feet into the air.
Moments after the launch SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted, “Starhopper flight successful. Water towers *can* fly haha!!”
The reference to the water tower is no doubt his response to many who have said the hopper looks like a water tower and not a spaceship.
When asked on Twitter what is next his response was, “200m (meter) hop in a week or two.”
Another person on Twitter said, “Hopefully during the day for good visibility” and Musk answered “Yes.”
A 200 meter hop would be slightly more than 650 feet or the equivalent of two football fields.
After the hop a wild fire broke out in front of the launch pad.
