| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
- SpaceX experienced a software failure incident with its Starship rocket prototypes multiple times. The incident involved the rocket encountering trouble during or after landing, resulting in explosions [111846].
- The second attempt of the Starship vehicle by SpaceX also ended in an explosion during a controlled descent, similar to a previous incident with the SN8 model [110904].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
- There is no specific mention of the same software failure incident happening at other organizations in the provided articles. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the development phase of design can be seen in the incident involving SpaceX's Starship rocket prototypes. The articles mention that during the test flights of the Starship prototypes, there were issues encountered during or after landing, resulting in explosions [Article 111846]. Elon Musk, the founder and chief executive of SpaceX, mentioned on Twitter that there appeared to be a problem with one of the engines during the ascent and it did not quite work properly when it reignited for landing [Article 111846]. This indicates a design flaw or issue in the engine system that led to the failure during the landing procedure.
(b) The software failure incident related to the development phase of operation can be observed in the incident involving the SN9 prototype of SpaceX's Starship. The article mentions that during the second test flight of the SN9, the vehicle only managed to ignite one engine correctly during the descent, leading to the vehicle being engulfed in flames upon impact on the landing platform [Article 110904]. This failure during the operation phase, specifically during the controlled descent, highlights an operational issue that affected the successful landing of the prototype. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the SpaceX rocket explosions during high-altitude tests appears to be within_system. The articles mention that the rocket encountered trouble during or after landing, resulting in explosions [111846]. Additionally, it is stated that the engine thrust was lower than needed to slow the rocket, leading to the impact and destruction of the rocket [111846]. These issues point towards internal factors within the rocket system contributing to the failures. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- In the incident involving SpaceX's Starship rocket test on Tuesday, the rocket encountered trouble during or after landing, resulting in explosions. The engines reignited at the start of the landing procedure, and the rocket hit the ground at a speed of 10 meters per second, causing the explosion [Article 111846].
- During the second attempt of the Starship vehicle launch by SpaceX, the unmanned spacecraft, SN9, reached an altitude of 10 km but failed during the controlled descent, leading to its destruction. The vehicle was supposed to land back near the launch site but failed to do so, resulting in the explosion. The issue seemed to be related to the failure of one of the engines during the descent [Article 110904].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- Elon Musk, the founder and chief executive of SpaceX, mentioned on Twitter that there appeared to be a problem with one of the engines during the ascent of the Starship rocket test. He also stated that the engine did not quite work properly when it reignited for landing, indicating a potential issue with the engine design or operation [Article 111846].
- The commentator of SpaceX's transmissions, John Insprucker, acknowledged that there was a need to work on the landing of the Starship rocket prototypes after the failures. He mentioned that the team would review the data to address the landing issues, suggesting a potential need for adjustments in the landing procedures or software controls [Article 110904]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- Article 111846 reports on SpaceX's Starship rocket exploding during a high-altitude test due to a problem with one of the engines during the ascent and reignition for landing. The rocket encountered trouble during or after landing, resulting in explosions, with the latest incident showing the engines reigniting at the start of the landing procedure [111846].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- Article 110904 discusses SpaceX's Starship SN9 prototype exploding during a controlled descent due to a failure in the descent maneuver. The SN9 only managed to ignite one engine correctly instead of two, leading to the vehicle being engulfed in flames upon impact. This indicates a software failure in controlling the descent and engine ignition process [110904]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the SpaceX Starship rocket explosions during high-altitude tests does not appear to be malicious. The incidents were attributed to technical issues during the landing procedures, such as problems with the engines reigniting or failing to slow down the rocket properly, leading to explosions upon impact [111846, 110904].
(b) The software failure incidents seem to be non-malicious, stemming from technical challenges and design shortcomings rather than intentional actions to harm the system. SpaceX engineers acknowledged the need to work on the landing procedures and mentioned that the flights were test flights to gather data for improvements [111846, 110904]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions:
- In the incident involving SpaceX's Starship rocket test flights, the failure can be attributed to poor decisions made during the design and testing process. Despite multiple test flights and failures, SpaceX continued with subsequent flights, leading to explosions and destruction of the prototypes [111846, 110904].
(b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions:
- The software failure incident can also be linked to accidental decisions or unintended consequences during the testing and landing procedures of the Starship prototypes. The failure during the landing procedure, where engines did not work properly or reignited incorrectly, resulted in explosions and destruction of the rockets [111846, 110904]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence:
- The incidents described in the articles about SpaceX's Starship rocket tests do not specifically mention any software failure incidents due to development incompetence. The failures seem to be related to issues with the rocket's engines and landing procedures rather than software development incompetence.
(b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally:
- The articles describe the failures of SpaceX's Starship prototypes during high-altitude tests as accidental incidents rather than due to development incompetence. The failures were attributed to issues during the landing procedures, such as engines not working properly or not reigniting as expected, leading to the rockets crashing and exploding on the ground [111846, 110904]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) In the articles, there is no specific mention of the software failure incident being permanent, where the failure is due to contributing factors introduced by all circumstances.
(b) The software failure incident mentioned in the articles is temporary, where the failure is due to contributing factors introduced by certain circumstances but not all. The incidents described in the articles highlight specific issues during the test flights of SpaceX's Starship prototypes, such as problems with engine reignition during landing procedures, lower engine thrust, and failure to properly slow down the rocket, leading to explosions upon landing [111846, 110904]. These incidents are related to specific test flights and are not indicative of a permanent software failure across all circumstances. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The articles describe instances where the SpaceX Starship prototypes exploded during or after landing attempts, indicating a crash of the system [111846, 110904].
(b) omission: The system failed to perform its intended function of landing successfully in both instances, resulting in explosions upon impact with the ground [111846, 110904].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of the system performing its intended functions too late or too early in the articles.
(d) value: The system did not perform its intended functions correctly, as it failed to land successfully in both test flights, resulting in crashes and explosions [111846, 110904].
(e) byzantine: There is no indication of the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions in the articles.
(f) other: The other behavior observed in the incidents is the system demonstrating controlled belly flop maneuvers back towards the ground after reaching a certain altitude, which is not a typical behavior for a successful landing [111846]. |