Re:A bug in SpaceX’s communication system hid ESA's messages
by ineedasername on Wednesday September 04, 2019 @10:48AM
(#20877644)
Their response to the first query was fine. We agree on that.
My criticism is with them having a system that wasn't tested adequately enough to realize they would be blind to further messages. This forced ESA to act on its own when standard protocol, the responsible way to behave, is to work together. The ESA's ability to act was a luxury not all satellites have. SpaceX's inadequate testing could have had catastrophic consequences for both parties. You seem to be using the fact that it all worked this time as evidence that there was no real problem here. But the fact that one responsible party avoided disaster doesn't excuse the irresponsible party's problem with inadequate testing. It would be a bit like having a car drive on the wrong side of the road, nearly hit another car, but that other car moved out of the way, so really everything is okay. That doesn't quite parse for me. I don't see how someone can come away from this without saying that SpaceX needs to fix something, because SpaceX themselves admit to that.
My criticism is with them having a system that wasn't tested adequately enough to realize they would be blind to further messages. This forced ESA to act on its own when standard protocol, the responsible way to behave, is to work together. The ESA's ability to act was a luxury not all satellites have. SpaceX's inadequate testing could have had catastrophic consequences for both parties. You seem to be using the fact that it all worked this time as evidence that there was no real problem here. But the fact that one responsible party avoided disaster doesn't excuse the irresponsible party's problem with inadequate testing. It would be a bit like having a car drive on the wrong side of the road, nearly hit another car, but that other car moved out of the way, so really everything is okay. That doesn't quite parse for me. I don't see how someone can come away from this without saying that SpaceX needs to fix something, because SpaceX themselves admit to that.