When it comes to space, failure isn't just an option — it's a requirement

SpaceX's SN8 Starship prototype launches on a high-altitude test flight on Dec. 9, 2020. The vehicle performed well during the flight but did not stick its landing, exploding shortly after hitting the ground.

Sometime next month, SpaceX will likely try to launch the largest rocketship ever flown, known as the Starship. If successful, this flight will herald a new space age, as humanity opens the solar system. This begs the question: Will it fail or will it succeed? And if it fails, what will it mean?

Anyone familiar with space movies, or who has visited a NASA gift shop, knows the phrase "Failure is not an option." Actually, it is. In truth, if one is to win at anything, failure is a requirement. We only learn by what we learn from making mistakes. That is if — and this is an important "if" — we accept the learning we gain from the failure and apply it to our future endeavors.