It’s borderline, but no.
If you don’t have it, then you should buy it. More expensive spacecraft are reserved for later ranks, so it should not pose a problem.
Yes
I don’t see them as sufficiently different from the Daily Scramble.
I’ll look into it.
No
Although the ranks can be renamed, it will take a lot more than an off-the-cuff suggestion.
Thanks, fixed.
I don’t see why not.
I don’t remember. Maybe in an attempt to make it less overpowered?
I’ll look into it, but off the top of my head that is going to be very hard to fix, if not impossible.
Changed in v.120
Probably. I’ll look into it.
Ah, bug! Fixed in v.119.2 (server-side) 
Bug
Part of the point of the quests is to figure out how to achieve each goal most quickly/efficiently, so I don’t see that as a problem
(Another) part of the point of the quests is to force you outside your normal comfort zone and to experiment with different playstyles. That’s why you get goals that are related to exploring the galaxy, using a particular weapon, or (in this case) using particular equipment.
Keys
No
I can’t make exceptions to the usual “mission complete” rules.
Just having it mounted counts.
Need a poll for this.
That doesn’t happen with all updates. It was necessary for this one, however.
Yes, that’s the reason. I’ll look into it.
That’s very messy to do. Plus, not all quests are related to mission progress.