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May 30, 2014, 12:16 AM GMT / Updated May 30, 2014, 4:21 AM GMT

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — SpaceX unveiled the spaceship it expects to use to send NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, known as the Dragon V2, at its headquarters on Thursday amid surroundings as glitzy as an auto show.

Maybe that shouldn't be surprising, considering that the company's billionaire founder, CEO and chief designer, Elon Musk, also runs the Tesla electric-car company. His SpaceX venture has even loftier ambitions than Tesla — nothing less than sending colonists to Mars.

"That's where things need to go in the long term," Musk declared Thursday.

The curtain drop on Dragon V2 — and yes, a curtain literally dropped — marks a significant step toward that goal. Hundreds of employees, VIPs and other guests cheered when the spacecraft made its debut, sitting on a stage set up on SpaceX's factory floor.