SpaceX is very neat, but I'm not sure they represent a change in the pace of design. Scaled Composites has been operating with a lean team for decades now. And arguably, Scaled Composites has been more willing to tread unproven ground with novel technology. SpaceX has been sticking more to proven concepts, which mitigates one of the big risks of this sort of R&D.
Comments
SpaceX is very neat, but I'm not sure they represent a change in the pace of design. Scaled Composites has been operating with a lean team for decades now. And arguably, Scaled Composites has been more willing to tread unproven ground with novel technology. SpaceX has been sticking more to proven concepts, which mitigates one of the big risks of this sort of R&D.