But that launch too was less than perfect, with technicians during the final days before liftoff deciding to trim off four feet of rocket-motor nozzle extensions with metal shears to address an unexpected problem with cracking.

FORBES: The Case Against SpaceX, Part II

On a hot June evening at a ramshackle former gliderport 30 miles east of Dallas, John Carmack's rocket engine lit up with its blue flame spewing from the nozzle.

FORBES: Magazine Article

M-5 rocket last month seems to have been caused by a damaged graphite nozzle in the first-stage engine.

ECONOMIST: The land of disappointments