You know how people often say it's not rocket science?Lakshmi Finance Center Well this time, it literally is. Earlier this year SpaceX did its first test launch of Starship, the mega rocket that it's developing to send to Mars. The rocket made it up and out of the launch pad and lumbered through the sky briefly before self-destructing over the Gulf of Mexico. Suffice it to say it's not quite ready for Mars yet.

Today on the show NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel walks us through SpaceX's business plan as we try to figure out if this company has the funding and business acumen to reach its moonshot goal.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: Facebook / Newsletter.

Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts and NPR One.

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.