Yes, I made that point in my book. Companies don't have experience;
people do. SpaceX is currently the premier rocket-design team on the
planet, which is why they've been able to make such seemingly rapid
progress on SS/SH.
On 11/4/21 13:29, Henry Spencer wrote:
I wrote:
Beware "qualified supplier" syndrome. The only way to maintain actual competition is to sometimes give the job to an enthusiastic newcomer, because that's the only way you get *new* experienced suppliers, to replace old ones lost in mergers etc.
P.S. Boeing will happily tell you that almost all previous US manned spacecraft were built by companies now part of Boeing. But there is nothing left of McDonnell (Mercury, Gemini) in today's Boeing, and not much left of North American (Apollo CSM) or Rockwell (Shuttle orbiter). Technical competence isn't hereditary.
Henry