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The SN8, which Musk has invested billions of dollars in, is SpaceX's next model -- after SN5 and SN6 -- in the quest to build a reusable rocket that can take passengers to the moon and eventually Mars.

Musk has said recently that he hopes to have Starship launch an unmanned mission to Mars by 2024.

The company announced in 2018 that it had signed up a Japanese fashion designer to be the first private citizen to travel to the moon. The date for that expected launch is currently 2023.

ABC News' Gina Sunseri and Catherine Thorbecke contributed to this report.

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