"Overcoming Upper Stage Challenges: Lessons from Unforgiving Failures"
Upper stages of rockets have faced a series of failures in 2023, highlighting the complexity and challenges they pose. Failures from companies like Firefly Aerospace, Virgin Orbit, Rocket Lab, Relativity Space, and Japan's H3 rocket have demonstrated the unforgiving nature of upper stage malfunctions, which can be more complex and less forgiving than those of lower stages. These failures have been attributed to a range of issues, from manufacturing defects to electrical system failures, and have prompted companies to focus on inspections, testing, and quality control to address these challenges.