What contrast exists regarding the intent of the FTS between an uncrewed Falcon 9 mission and an uncrewed Starship developmental test?
Answer
Falcon 9's FTS is for disposal upon failure to meet performance metrics, whereas Starship's test FTS is an accepting failure mode built into the learning process
The intent differs: for operational Falcon 9, FTS is disposal upon critical failure, but for an uncrewed Starship test, it is a recognized failure mode integral to the data-gathering process.
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SpaceX Starship self-destructs after successful launch and test flight
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