In 2006, after the Falcon 1’s first failed launch, photos circulated showing Musk examining the debris, a moment often contrasted with SpaceX’s 2024 success in catching a Starship booster mid-air.
While Musk’s hands-on approach is praised, critics argue his iterative “fail-fast” method, as seen in back-to-back 2025 Starship failures, risks recklessness, especially with NASA’s Artemis program relying on Starship for lunar missions.
