Rocket Report: Japanese rocket blows up, NASA chief ponders purpose of SLS

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Welcome to Edition 1.07 of the Rocket Report! This week there's a lot of news from the small booster side of the things, as well as some interesting comments from the NASA administrator about the future of the Space Launch System rocket.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below. Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Relativity Space eyes military contracts. Relativity, which intends to 3-D print both its rocket engines and the boosters themselves, hopes to win both commercial and military contracts. The company's chief executive, Tim Ellis, told SpaceNews, the Pentagon favors nimble suppliers that can manufacture products fast. He said, "They need the ability to reconstitute constellations quickly. This is super important based on conversations we're hearing at the government level."

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