Starship is intended to eventually evolve into a fully reusable launch and landing system, designed for trips to the moon, Mars, and perhaps other destinations. Its intended reusability is "the holy grail of space," Musk said at a company event in 2022, because it will make spaceflight more affordable to the average person.

After a historic test flight of Starship last month, SpaceX on Thursday announced the sixth, aiming to launch on November 18.

SpaceX has announced the next test flight for its Starship rocket, and it's sooner than you probably expected. The sixth Starship launch will happen as early as Nov. 18 at SpaceX's Boca Chica testing facility. SpaceX again hopes to catch the first-stage booster and will also test reigniting Starship's engines and new heatshield materials.