I think that's a reasonable response. At the same time, if it would have taken several more months to install a flame diverter / metal plating below the launch

I think that's a reasonable response. At the same time, if it would have taken several more months to install a flame diverter / metal plating below the launch pad, would that be worth it, or negate the progress made by gathering flight data? I'm not sure we can know that for sure. I would hazard a guess that in the long term, it will have been the right decision.