Space is very conservative due to its nature. Even (or especially) at the offset.
When you mission planning and construction takes several years, you can’t just go in and swap parts for “cutting edge” and “best-of-breed”. Mission parameters are locked several years before the actual mission takes place and are based on tech that was considered safe, sound, and stable by the time parameters are locked.
So, when the mission flies, you get 6-8 year old tech that flies in it.
The combination of all the components is usually bigger than the sum of its parts (that is it could be pushing the envelope of what mankind can achieve), but it’s usually built on top of some very boring things.
A lot of early computer work was classified. NASA was able to leverage this work which made evolutionary changes seem revolutionary. But, that’s simply because so many of the intermediary steps where hidden from public view.
PS: The enigma cracking for example is very well known now. But, that’s a surprisingly recent revelation... After the end of World War II, the Allies sold captured Enigma machines, still widely considered secure, to developing countries.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine. This meant keeping the machines that could crack these codes secret was important for decades.
When you mission planning and construction takes several years, you can’t just go in and swap parts for “cutting edge” and “best-of-breed”. Mission parameters are locked several years before the actual mission takes place and are based on tech that was considered safe, sound, and stable by the time parameters are locked.
So, when the mission flies, you get 6-8 year old tech that flies in it.
The combination of all the components is usually bigger than the sum of its parts (that is it could be pushing the envelope of what mankind can achieve), but it’s usually built on top of some very boring things.