Sometimes his project fails enough times that it starts working (space x).

That's just the process of engineering that's not an Elon thing that's just an engineering thing. No one knew how to make reusable rockets that land on the launch pad so of course it was trial and error. The reason NASA would never do it is because it's trial and error and Congress don't want NASA blowing rockets up.

The Soviet space program was exactly the same and remember they got into space first.