Because of the unknown factors and the great risks that must be taken, failure and delay are two of the unwanted hallmarks of every frontier.
Space is no exception.
For the last three years orbital space has been exhibiting the full range of frontier hallmarks. One grand space enterprise is now on the cusp of failure. While the jury is still out on Iridium, it is at the point where present actions determine whether success or failure. To gain an appreciation of the current situation, a look at previous frontier may be enlightening. The speculative model dominated historic western mine development.