I like the idea of the players giving general instructions (ie: "We'd like a heavily armoured ship with fast engines, a year or so of fuel and fast-firing laser turrets", or "We'd like to put asteroid miners somewhere in Sol where there's Mercassium within three years"), as if they were high-level strategic planners. However, I think they should then receive specific feedback (ship plans, mine numbers, etc) so they can suggest refinements the next time around. It makes the AARs more interesting for us numbers-obsessed types.
The trick is that even with specific ship plans the high-level planners can only make general recommendations "I think our next generation of ships should be a bit faster and less armoured" and those will be followed somewhat accurately by the GM-controlled ship designers. Underlings and minions never do exactly what you want them to, after all. Especially in politics.