After a few false starts, the prototype of Elon Musk's Mars rocket made a spectacular but short flight on Tuesday.

The Starhopper single-engine version of the SpaceX Starship rose nearly 150 meters over the Texas coast before coming back down for a soft landing. SpaceX livestreamed the event, which starred what looked a little like a small water tower or perhaps a giant R2-D2 rising above the Gulf coast for less than a minute.

"Congrats SpaceX team!!" Musk tweeted.