'Flat-Earther' Mike Hughes to launch himself 1,800ft up into the sky with a new rocket in February

'Mad' Mike Hughes, the 61-year-old limo driver, who created a buzz about flat-Earth hypothesis with his plan of launching himself 1,800ft up into the sky, is back again.

Hughes planned a ride on a homemade steam-fueled rocket last year but due to a couple of last-minute hitches in his vehicle and government interference, he failed to take to the skies.

However, he has not lost hope and is now planning to go for it on 3 February 2018 with a new homemade steam-powered vehicle.

On Saturday, 20 January Hughes posted a video on Facebook detailing what he believes – the theory of a flat-Earth – and how plans to prove it by going into space in a year or so, the grand project which starts off with the upcoming publicity stunt.

Hughes says he needs to raise $1.8 to 2m for the project. He claims this launch will take him 1,800 feet high at speeds of around 500 miles per hour. However, he reiterated that the flight will not prove anything. It will only get him close to the ultimate ride where he would go high-enough (35,000ft to be exact) to capture the exact shape of our home planet.

Hughes has made some notable changes to his flight plan. Last time around when he was looking to fly, the Bureau of Land Management intervened and grounded the rocket. This was because the trajectory of the booster was such that it would have landed on public land, something the government did not approve.

However, this time, Hughes has tweaked the trajectory of his rocket and painted it in green. The vehicle will go straight up into the sky from a privately-owned property, ensuring that the whole thing doesn't cross over.

"That way we got enough buffer that when it lands, it will not be on [Bureau of Land Management] property," Hughes said in the video. Once the required altitude is achieved during flight, he will eject himself and parachute back down to Earth, like how he did back in 2014 after going up to 1,400ft.

Hughes does not believe in Science and doesn't like to be called a "flat-Earther". Back in November, he told the Associated Press, "I know about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and how things move through the air, about the certain size of rocket nozzles, and thrust.

"But that's not science, that's just a formula. There's no difference between science and science fiction," he added.