Although space flight is inherently more risky and challenging than subsonic flight, NASA might need to work on their reliability. Consider the 30 year shuttle program with 14 fatalities from 2 hull losses after 135 missions. i.e. 1.48%.
For illustration, that equates to more than 1500 fatal hull losses
per day at the current daily air transport departure rate.
Mach EA,
The only obstacle to overcome is the potential for hacking. However NASA have so far done a reasonable job of preventing that in their programs.
I could have missed something, or taken your post out of context, but to suggest that this is the only obstacle to pilotless air transport is extremely naïve.
It should be remembered by anyone hoping for the premature introduction of completely automatic scheduled passenger flight, that all the hardware and the software, this wonderful place without needy, expensive and now mass-murdering suicidal pilots, is nearly all designed, assembled, maintained and directed by people for a very obvious reason.
You can't take all the people out of the loop.
You are on the wrong planet for that.
You could say that this accident was
caused by the captain being locked out the flight compartment.