I realise it's just a concept test for future missions, but this doesn't seem like a particularly rigorous test. I assume they are they under a lot of time pressure.
The difference is more like that this is the first untethered, full-flight-system, full-environment test. The data from which is compared to the huge batch previous tests with partial systems, w/ and w/o gravity offloads, etc etc.
Logging a lot of flight time with the actual hardware is a really bad idea, sort of like "testing in production."
We test in staging environments set to mimic production 100% (or as close as possible) all the time.
After an initial period where they're under development, un-maned aerial vehicles should obviously be tested a hell of a lot in actual end environment, with their whole actual hardware, too.
That's a fascinating fact. A lot of work must have gone into a testing environment that can do so much of the work via simulation.
It worked for Boeing.