- "And for expandable rockets, virtually all rockets designed and launched in the last few decades have successfully accomplished their first ever flight,"

That doesn't resonate as true to me.

The first Ariane 5 flight blew up [0]. That Europe's current heavy-lift workhorse with 112 successful launches (including JWST), but the first one blew up.

The first PSLV blew up [1]. That's India's current workhorse with 58 successes, but flight #1 was not successful. Their GSLV did not reach its correct orbit on its first flight either [2], though it didn't blow up.

The first Delta IV Heavy did not blow up, but it failed to reach its correct orbit [3]. That was US' largest launch vehicle for most of the 21st century.

The first Long March 5 failed to reach its correct orbit, and the second one blew up [4]. That's China's current heavy-lift launch vehicle, since 2016.

South Korea's first orbital rocket RUD'd both its first flights, in 2009 and 2010 [5].

Japan's newest orbital rocket was launched in 2023, and that blew up [6].

Rocket Labs' Electron has a current >90% success rate, but the first one blew up [7].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariane_5#Launch_history

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PSLV_launches#Statisti...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GSLV_launches#Statisti...

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_IV_Heavy#Launch_history

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_March_5

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naro-1#Launch_history

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H3_(rocket)#Launch_history

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Lab_Electron#Launch_sta...

Starship Flight 7