Those delays are normal. I hate Elon, too, but I’ve worked with them, and their shit is fresh. SLS is also not a disaster. That first mission was almost perfect, and the SLS community is strong. The difference is that NASA can not tolerate failure, and SpaceX can. NASA must be right the first time. SpaceX just breaks shit quickly.
I have a picture of SpaceX Falcon on the launch pad. The picture is from 2008. Claims that they are faster are not accurate. We have built two launch vehicles and successfully completed testing since then. Starship just now had a decent test or two, IIRC. We didn’t start SLS until like 2012, and SpaceX had Dalcon in pad in 2008. Had they not canceled Ares I right after a successful flight, NASA would be farther along. Both Falcon and SLS are good options. Vulcan is promising, but Boeing is too screwed up now for my comfort, so we’ll see.
Rhaedas@fedia.io 5 weeks ago
NASA is different because its money is Congressionally controlled, so not only does that expect perfection in an area that will have mistakes, but has a small window to act in before political interest wanes, and has little flexibility as things are learned on the way. The only advantage of a national space program is deep pockets. Even the small percent that NASA gets is a lot more than most commercial organizations can swing. Imagine if they had a few percent of what the military gets and a bit of latitude to find ways for us to expand out.