[ExI] minor setback

[Adrian Tymes]

This happens all the time.

In light of this, consider:

1) A rocket that doesn't deliberately explode - not even using
controlled explosions, as chemical rockets do.

2) A horizontal takeoff, horizontal landing vehicle.  True, it has the
extra mass of wings and landing gear (which mass might have otherwise
gone to a greater payload fraction), but if the engine malfunctions
shortly after starting up, it can be shut down without the launch
vehicle having left the ground.

On Tue, Sep 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:
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> Adrian it is difficult to tell from this distance, but one might vaguely suspect there may have been a minor anomaly during testing.  The camera over at Harold's Auto Parts worked in accordance with specification and has provided some possibly-useful failure-analysis data:
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> https://twitter.com/i/status/1972785189702213641
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> One of your competitors, Firefly Aerospace, has learned what you have long known: space flight is hard.  It's even harder if you do ANYTHING wrong.  That biz is unforgiving of fools and unforgiving of even really smart people.
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> spike
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