Overall I like the concept, and that an entire playthrough is 5 minutes.
I didn't understand why you would send your son off by himself rather than launching with both of you. I guess maybe less resources are used on the journey?
I think the point is just to get all reserves to max and take off. I think some playthroughs that will happen quickly, and some you may be down to the last seconds before you get everything ready for launch. At least, that's my impression from just a few rounds.