The early Titan launches were not too successful either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Titan_launches http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Titan_launche

The early Titan launches were not too successful either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Titan_launches http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Titan_launches The Delta's were between 90-95% successful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_(rocket_family) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_(rocket_family) The expertise of the SpaceX people I've known is impressive. I think it's too early to tell whether the SpaceX advantages (dropping cost-plus, plus incorporating 50 years of rocketry experience) will result in better technology. There are lots of reasons to suppose it will.