> wouldn't it otherwise just burn-up or explode on failure? There's eventually a point the rocket is high enough and moving fast enough that if it broke up or

> wouldn't it otherwise just burn-up or explode on failure? There's eventually a point the rocket is high enough and moving fast enough that if it broke up or went off course it would burn up on re-entry. Before that point, though, it's better to be able to destroy the rocket at a chosen time before it can go so far off course that it poses a threat to things on the ground outside of the cleared launch corridor. Edited to add: You can read about the flight termination system from the Apollo missions (known as PDF for Propellant Dispersal System) starting on page 33 of this PDF: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20090015395/downloads/20090015395.pdf https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20090015395/downloads/20...