SpaceX has successfully achieved its sixth test flight of Starship on Tuesday, with CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump witnessing the event from the control room. Although the launch went off without a hitch, SpaceX opted to abandon its plan to catch the first-stage Super Heavy booster using its “Mechazilla” system, choosing instead a conventional ocean splashdown.

The Starship launched from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Brownsville, Texas, at 4 p.m. local time (5 p.m. EST / 2 p.m. PST). This test expanded on the last Starship flight carried out the previous month. Important objectives for this mission included reigniting the Raptor engine in space, assessing modifications to the heat shield, and testing new reentry maneuvers.

One of the most eagerly awaited aims of the flight was a second attempt to utilize SpaceX’s “Mechazilla” launch tower, particularly its “chopstick” arms, to catch the Super Heavy booster. However, just minutes into the flight, SpaceX aborted the booster catch, resulting in the 33-engine Super Heavy splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. The company has not disclosed specific reasons for the change, merely stating that the conditions necessary for a catch were not satisfied.

This was not the first occasion SpaceX had tested the Mechazilla system. In October, the launch tower successfully caught the booster. SpaceX’s long-term vision is to make both the Super Heavy booster and the entire Starship system fully reusable.

Despite the cancellation of the booster catch, other mission goals were successfully met. Following separation from the booster, Starship activated its six Raptor engines and entered a coasting phase. For the first time, one of these engines was successfully reignited in space.

During reentry, SpaceX tested the limits of Starship’s design by removing sections of its heat shield tiles and experimenting with a more aggressive descent angle. Rather than adopting the typical “belly flop” position, Starship was maneuvered nose-down to put its flaps, which aid in controlling the spacecraft’s descent, under stress. Despite this increased strain, Starship remained intact and safely splashed down in the Indian Ocean.

Towering at 397 feet (121 meters), SpaceX’s Starship is engineered to eventually transport passengers beyond Earth’s orbit to destinations such as the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The company envisions the spacecraft being capable of carrying up to 100 passengers on extended interplanetary journeys.