Scott Morton

Starship Reaches Orbit, Giving Engineers Months of Flight Data to Analyze

Former SpaceX Starship software manager Scott Morton calls the rocket’s first trip to orbit a “monumental step forward,” despite an engine failure during ascent. In an interview with Bloomberg’s Ed Ludlow, Morton argues that the flight’s data may prove as valuable as the milestone itself: engineers will spend weeks or months examining how the vehicle and its software performed. He says Starship’s goal of carrying people to Mars was part of the program’s vision from the beginning.