So, today was a success. The people at SpaceX really weren’t joking when they said if it cleared the tower it was a success. Given the number of rockets and rocket systems over the years that have taken out the launch pad on their first test, it really is a good thing. The first time you stack it all together and light the candle, anything can happen.

They got it off the pad. They got it up to a pretty good altitude. Then it went south. Happens. In fact, it’s a good thing when it happens during testing.

SpaceX is doing what should have been done by many others: they test. They test to destruction. The Starships that exploded in ground testing? Good thing. Lots and lots of data. They were not failures, each one enabled the next to be improved. Certain agencies and many companies don’t want to test to that extent, as they are convinced the public sees such as a failure when it is not so. Yes, I know there are idiots that do feel that way, but they have no clue about reality as a general rule.

[Innovation requires risk-taking, and extraordinary scales of innovation require extraordinary scales of risk-taking. SpaceX destroyed a very expensive vehicle today, but what they will learn from the destruction will pay off many times over. Would they have preferred perfection the first time? Of course, but that’s unrealistic. The real question is whether they would prefer to identify the failure(s) the first time, rather than when carrying a commercial payload or personnel. That’s the success for today. — Ed]