The race to the bottom will work great in underregulated labor markets or anywhere regulations on environmental and safety standards are relaxed. The issue (no problem, because I believe there should be tough regulation) is that there is now a baseline that you can't really go under unless you cut corners somehow.
I've been working in construction in the SF Bay Area for over 15 years.
The nukes in space aren't intended for space targets, they are intended for earth targets.