SpaceX just had a successful test run of its Falcon Heavy rockets. CEO Elon Musk wants to eventually use these rockets to take astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to Mars.
The rocket can achieve liftoff with up to 100,000 pounds holding it down. The Falcon Heavy is made up of three Falcon 9 boosters, which produce a combined 5 million pounds of thrust.
SpaceX is one of a handful of private companies trying to break into space travel, including United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin.
Musk is planning to send two space tourists around the moon in 2018. That mission is intended to be a stepping stone to sending a manned mission to colonize Mars within the next few years.
