On first thought, this sounds like an attempt at building an old-school lander in a world where the technology is very much in flux, and wehere it is not unlikely that the Lander will be overtaken by more modern technology before a flight is attempted, but after money has been spent.
HOWEVER
In the world we live in, where a many decades old ally is talking about creating article 5 conditions by attacking other allies, basing one's future on having said ally providing unrestricted access to space is blue-eyed. Better an uneconomic access to space than no access to space.
I hate this timeline