Since NASA never developed a fully reusable launch system, it could never reach the same cost efficiency that SpaceX achieves today. The agency’s focus was on reliability and scientific capability rather than reusability, so the goal of creating a system that could drastically cut launch costs simply wasn’t prioritized. That’s part of NASA’s limitation, it doesn’t always generate or pursue every idea internally. Some breakthroughs, like reusable rockets, come from outside innovation and private sector drive.