Elon Musk test fires the Raptor engine meant for exploration of Mars and beyond

Elon Musk tweeted out images of the Raptor Engine being test fired. The engine is going to be used in the next generation of SpaceX launch vehicles, that are expected to take humans to Mars and other planets and moons. The rocket engines will form the basis for SpaceX efforts at creating permanent human settlements in space. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/780278836860628992 The Raptor will replace the Merlin, a current generation rocket engine used in SpaceX launch vehicles, including the Falcon 9. The chamber pressure in the Raptor is three times that of the Merlin. For SpaceX, exploration of the outer planetary system is not just a scientific mission to increase human understanding. Permanent human settlements on other planets and moons, is the next step in the evolution of the species itself. SpaceX just wants to accelerate an inevitable process, where the life from Earth grows and spreads to other celestial bodies. The test firing of the Raptor interplanetary transport engine comes close on the heels of the announcement in the change in name of the Mars Colonial Transporter . The Interplanetary Transport System, as it is now called, is a fleet of reusable rockets, spacecraft and habitats that will take humans into explorations of the outer solar system.