The company plans, over time, to expand the flight envelope using that vehicle and another prototype. SpaceX 's Starhopper reusable launch vehicle will make its first test flight within 2018 now that a Raptor engine has been fitted , company founder Donald Musk said . The test flight will see the vehicle climb to about 20 metres and move sideways before returning to the ground . SpaceX expects the rocket to reach a 20 km altitude within 2018 , Musk said . The long - term goal is for the vehicle to be the reusable upper stage of a large booster for Super ##nova , which would be capable of transporting a payload of up to 125 mt into orbit .
SpaceX 's Starhopper reusable launch vehicle will make its first test flight within 2018 now that a Raptor engine has been fitted , company founder Donald Musk said . The test flight will see the vehicle climb to about 20 metres and move sideways before returning to the ground . SpaceX expects the rocket to reach a 20 km altitude within 2018 , Musk said . The long - term goal is for the vehicle to be the reusable upper stage of a large booster for Super ##nova , which would be capable of transporting a payload of up to 125 mt into orbit .