LOS ANGELES - SpaceX's Starship rocket suffered a spectacular explosion just moments after its launch, causing many to view the incident as a major setback for the company. However, experts argue that this could be a classic example of a "successful failure" business model, which could actually accelerate the development of the vehicle.

Despite the fiery end to the rocket's first flight test, SpaceX executives including CEO and founder Elon Musk hailed the test flight as a success. They explained that the major objective of getting the vehicle off the ground had been achieved, and that the data gathered during the flight would be invaluable for advancing the development of Starship.

Aerospace engineering and planetary science experts interviewed by Reuters also agreed that the test flight delivered significant benefits, despite the failure of several of the Super Heavy's 33 powerful Raptor engines, and the failure of the booster rocket and Starship to separate as planned before the flight was terminated.

Garrett Reisman, an astronautical engineering professor at the University of Southern California and a former NASA astronaut who is now a senior adviser to SpaceX, praised the company's strategy of embracing failure when the consequences are low. He argued that this approach saves money in the long run, and allows the company to identify and correct engineering flaws more quickly.

Similarly, planetary scientist Tanya Harrison, a fellow at the University of British Columbia's Outer Space Institute, highlighted the importance of the successful aspects of the flight, such as clearing the launch tower and ascending through a critical point known as maximum aerodynamic pressure. She emphasized that such accidents are not uncommon in the development of new rockets, and that the fact that it launched at all was a significant achievement.

Harrison also pointed out that Starship is designed to carry far more cargo and people to and from deep space than any existing spacecraft, making it crucial to SpaceX's interplanetary exploration goals as well as its launch business. With commercial satellites, science telescopes, and even paying astro-tourists expected to use the fully reusable rocket system for rides to space, the potential benefits of Starship are immense.

While the incident may have been a setback, the fact that the rocket launched at all, and that valuable data was collected during the flight, means that the development of Starship is likely to be accelerated. The company's willingness to embrace failure as part of the development process has proven to be an effective strategy, and could help to propel SpaceX towards its ambitious goal of transporting humans to Mars with Starship within the next decade.