It’s been more than 40 years since the first successful space shuttle launch. However, as we saw with the recent NASA launch, we still have launch failures. Why is it so tough to achieve reliability in space shuttle launches? Does this apply to all space technology?

Question

It’s been more than 40 years since the first successful space shuttle launch. However, as we saw with the recent NASA launch, we still have launch failures. Why is it so tough to achieve reliability in space shuttle launches? Does this apply to all space technology?

In:

Answer 1

There are many many little parts to a space shuttle launch. Humans make mistakes and forget things. Most mistakes result in complete failure.

To add to that risk, humans are pushing the boundaries of modern materials. As technology improves and humans develop better metals, hybrid metals, and plastics, successful space launches become more common.

It was once considered crazy to reuse many components of the rockets. This is because the materials could barely handle one launch let alone ten. Now that we have better parts, multi-use rockets are becoming more common.