And everything between
These are some of the more obvious ways in which the mission could go sideways, but there are likely many other potential points of failure, some known and some unknown. SpaceX’s approach to testing anticipates the possibility of failure and makes it a part of the development process. Each test flight, successful or not, yields valuable data that allows the company to refine its designs and strategies.
So heading into the second test flight, the big question isn’t really if it’ll be a total success, but more about how it might fail. This will help to figure out what needs tweaking and set things up for the third go-around.
Want to know more about Elon Musk’s space venture? Check out our full coverage of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket and the SpaceX Starlink internet satellite megaconstellation. And for more spaceflight in your life, follow us on X and bookmark Gizmodo’s dedicated Spaceflight page.
