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

Part of the issue is that NASA is involved. Any time a government agency gets involved, the project costs 100x more and always has issues. Not saying the people doing the actual work are bad, but communication between outsourced parties is horrendous.

Now imagine SpaceX. All their fabrication and building is in house, meaning everyone involved can meet with everyone else involved. The only reason they talk to NASA is because… well I don’t know why they even keep talking to them. But you can’t go wrong with their rockets these days.