To understand the gravity of what SpaceX overlooked, it’s important to know what it’s trying to achieve. The company’s long-term mission is to actualize the colonization of Mars. Keeping that goal in mind, SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell said, “This is really just the beginning. We are starting the journey of bringing people regularly to and from low Earth orbit, then onto the moon, and then ultimately onto Mars.” Photo Credit: NASA