( CNN ) -- If you think you saw a flying saucer Saturday over Hawaii , you might not be crazy -- except what you saw did n't come from outer space , though that may be its ultimate destination . After several weather-related delays this month , NASA 's new spacecraft lifted off from the U.S. Navy 's Pacific Missile Range facility in Kauai , Hawaii , on Saturday morning . The space agency said its Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator , or LDSD , went up at 8:45 a.m. ( 2:45 p.m . ET ) , carried aloft by a giant balloon on a mission to test landing technologies for a future human mission to Mars . Shortly after 11 a.m. , the test vehicle dropped from the balloon and the `` powered flight , '' as NASA described it , began . At this point , the disc-like LDSD was about 120,000 feet , or more than 20 miles , above Earth . NASA said their current information indicates the spacecraft 's rocket fired just as they hoped , with the expectation that it would rise up to about 180,000 feet , reaching the stratosphere . Eventually , a donut-shaped tube inflated -- which makes the whole thing look like a flying saucer -- thus beginning the deceleration process . The next thing that was supposed to slow the vehicle 's descent was a giant parachute , though NASA acknowledged it `` did not deploy as expected . '' The whole process ended with the vehicle 's splashdown in the Pacific about 11:35 a.m. , or 30 minutes after it was released from the balloon . `` From what we know , the test was successful , '' said Shannon Ridinger , a NASA spokeswoman . Ridinger noted that noted NASA officials are still going through the data to assess everything what happened , noting that the only flaw known right now was that the parachute the space agency was testing had `` an issue . '' Project managers are expected to give a more thorough rundown of how things went on Sunday morning . Current technology for decelerating from high speeds during re-entry into the atmosphere to the final stages of landing on Mars dates back to NASA 's Viking Program , which put two landers on the Martian surface in 1976 . The basic Viking parachute design has been used ever since . It was successfully used again in 2012 to deliver the rover Curiosity to Mars . Curiosity , by the way , just celebrated the anniversary of its first Martian year on the Red Planet . NASA will need new and improved landing technologies to handle the larger spaceships of tomorrow and land them on rocky surfaces . NASA 's deep-space craft readying for launch . Happy anniversary ! On Mars , Curiosity rover has done a lot in a long year .
NEW : NASA spokeswoman : The test appears to have been a success . NEW : The powered flight and descent of the test vehicle took 30 minutes , NASA says . NASA 's newest spacecraft launches into the skies over Hawaii on a test flight . Safely landing a hurtling spacecraft is crucial for a human mission to Mars .