Making Tech Headlines · Page 8
Starship gives the failure column a complicated performance review
· New York time
SpaceX's approach to testing Starship makes it difficult to give a simple count of how many rocket tests have failed. The answer depends partly on what is being counted and how each test's outcome is assessed. A complex rocket test can have different objectives at different stages. A flight may produce useful information even if the vehicle does not complete everything observers hoped to see. That does not turn every setback into success, but it does make a single tally a limited description of the results. Clear categories matter for anyone trying to assess development. A count that treats every test as identical can obscure the objectives of each one. An assessment that treats every setback as progress can obscure them too. The useful questions include what was attempted, what happened and what the result means for subsequent work. SpaceX's testing approach draws attention because the public sees dramatic events and naturally wants a straightforward verdict. The engineering assessment may require more than one column and more than one definition. Rockets are excellent at producing memorable images. They are less accommodating when asked to produce tidy spreadsheet entries. The difficult part of this count is not finding a number to put in a box. It is agreeing what the box is supposed to describe.
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