This time, the prototype Starship SN6 was tested, a newer model than the Starship SN5 prototype that SpaceX used to conduct similar tests in early August. As in the last time, the launch was made from the site of the company’s cosmodrome not far from the town of Boca Chica (Texas).

These prototypes are made of stainless steel and have only one Raptor engine, although the final production version of Starship will have six – three for propulsion in the Earth’s atmosphere, and three for use in spacecraft flight.

These “leaps” allowed SpaceX to collect data on the Raptor’s performance, as well as the performance of the full-size Starship prototype (albeit without some elements, including the nose cone and landing pads). They will serve as the basis for further testing, including a longer suborbital flight in the atmosphere, and, ultimately, the first launch of the Starship Orbiter, which, apparently, will not take place until next year.

After SpaceX made the first manned flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft in May, the head of the company Elon Musk said that SpaceX’s top priority is now the development of Starship. In an email shared with CNBC, Musk said the Starship program should accelerate ” dramatically and immediately .”