But although the Dragon was unaffected, the engine problem left a small communications satellite that was along for the ride as a secondary payload unable to reach its proper orbit.

ECONOMIST: SpaceX goes to the ISS

The executive has a point when there's more than 40 booked SpaceX flights so early into the Falcon program's history, although there's something left to prove when the first scheduled Dragon capsule launch ran into a non-critical engine failure.

ENGADGET: CE-Oh no he didn't!: SpaceX creator Elon Musk says Ariane 5 rocket has 'no chance'