SpaceX's Starhopper craft leapt without a leash for the first ever last night in an explosive step forward for the company and its mission to reach Mars.

At about 11:45 pm Eastern time, Starhopper ignited its Raptor engines from its home base in Boca Chica Texas, lighting up the night sky and engulfing the chrome space craft in a shroud of thick smoke. 

For the first time since Starhopper's inception, the craft -- a squat and strikingly large ship -- briefly hovered 20 meters off the ground without a tether.

In a tweet, SpaceX and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk joked -- referencing Starhopper's unique appearance -- that, 'Water towers *can* fly.'

The test, which Musk called a success, marks a quick turnaround from static fires of the rocket carried out earlier this week which saw the craft's engine shoot fire out of a vent near its domed top.

According to Musk, the fire was caused by a 'post-test fuel leak' but 'no major damage' resulted.  

SpaceX completed its first successful test firing of the 60 foot tall Raptor engine, causing it to lift briefly off of the launch pad, in April.