The mission to produce the world’s first 1,000mph car took a mammoth step forward as the engine was fired up for the first time in front of a global audience of millions.

But after months of planning, it was all over in just a few seconds.

Engineers behind the £10 million Bloodhound supersonic car project said they were immensely satisfied with the landmark test of its hybrid rocket system, which was given the once-over in a hardened air hangar at Newquay Cornwall airport.

Although stationary, the high-powered engine roared triumphantly for barely 20 seconds before satisfied engineers closed the machine down.

Experts said the next step is to analyse the data to determine whether it is safe to install into a vehicle.

Rocket engineer Daniel Jubb said: “The initial indications are that it went very well indeed. It is heads down looking at the data now, it is probably going to take us a full 10 days to look at that.

“Then we will be preparing for the next firing. We have a lot of safety testing to make sure we are happy to put this rocket into a man’s vehicle.”

The 28-year-old, who left school at 13 to run his own company with his grandfather, said he has been getting by on an hour-and-a-half sleep for the last few nights as the final preparations for Bloodhound’s launch were made.

Bloodhound is described as the largest rocket car of its kind to be designed in Europe, marking the biggest rocket test in the UK for two decades.