> Compare with steel where you can just hire a bunch of welders and build the damn thing out in the open.

I don't really know anything about welding nor about the forces acting on a rocket, but I remember reading that the effort in welding the Saturn V rocket was a feat in itself. It took a long time to train the workforce to perform the welds and extensive inspection was needed.

Does anyone know if this applies to this rocket too? Has welding progressed (or simply kept the skill alive)?

Edit: To anyone interested. The excellent book, Stages to Saturn, covered this (and everything else) in quite some detail.