Analysis | SpaceX rocket explosion illustrates Elon Musk’s ‘successful failure’ formula
- Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, exploded during its first flight on Thursday
- Despite the failure to complete the full 90-minute flight test, SpaceX declared it a success
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SpaceX Starship, world’s largest rocket, explodes minutes after lift-off on first test flight
The spectacular explosion of SpaceX’s new Starship rocket minutes after it soared off its launch pad on a first flight test is the latest vivid illustration of a “successful failure” business formula that serves Elon Musk’s company well, experts said.
Rather than seeing the fiery disintegration of Musk’s colossal, next-generation Starship system as a setback, experts said the dramatic loss of the rocket ship would help accelerate development of the vehicle.
Images of the Starship tumbling out of control some 30km up in the sky while mounted to its Super Heavy rocket booster before the combined vehicle blew to bits dominated media coverage of the highly anticipated launch.
SpaceX acknowledged that several of the Super Heavy’s 33 powerful Raptor engines malfunctioned on ascent and that the booster rocket and Starship failed to separate as designed before the ill-fated flight was terminated.
But SpaceX executives including Musk – the founder, CEO and chief engineer of the California-based rocket company – hailed the test flight for achieving the major objective of getting the vehicle off the ground while providing a wealth of data that will advance Starship’s development.
“Congrats SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!” Musk tweeted. “Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months.”