Cheap Launch Doesn’t Remove Risk, It Only Moves It. A Space Industry Executive Explains What Starship Really Changes.

SpaceX’s (SPCX) Flight 14 has built quite a hype over the last couple of weeks. It will be the rocket’s first attempt to reach orbit, carrying 26 Starlink V3 satellites. The hype is understandable, especially as most of the attention is on what success could unlock. But I think it's just as important to ask about the risks associated with the launch.

Starship’s recent history shows how costly one setback can be. Its latest version debuted in May. But the flight ended with the loss of the Super Heavy booster, the giant lower stage that lifts the rocket off the ground. The FAA grounded Starship until an investigation was done. Flight 13 was then aborted at the last second when engines failed to ignite, before finally flying in July. So one failure cost roughly two months between flights.