A few quick thoughts about the Aug. 24 failure of Russia’s Progress 44 cargo vehicle. Russian vehicles and launchers remain highly reliable. Thanks to careful contingency planning, the international space station (ISS) has plenty of supplies. The ISS crew is perfectly safe. And there’s every reason to believe the Russians will quickly determine what went wrong and fix it.

Two recent launch failures and sharp public criticism from leading government officials is putting the Russian space agency Roscosmos under a harsh spotlight. It’s also raising questions about whether the launch campaign the country is pursuing this year is too aggressive.