The first uncrewed test wasn't a "near failure". It was a complete failure. Yes, they got the vehicle back intact, but it didn't complete the primary mission objectives, and it didn't give them enough info to fix the problems on the next try.
Yeah, but we remember that at the time, after we were still blinking in disbelief at our screens after formal coverage of the test flight finished, and after an hour delay to the presser in order to get their stories straight, that when the feed returned, Jim Bridenstine stared into the camera and confidently announced that "Today, a lot of things went right."
