Science News Roundup: Relativity postpones Florida launch of 3D-printed Terran rocket; Boeing sees Space Launch System rocket fit for Pentagon missions and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Relativity postpones Florida launch of 3D-printed Terran rocket California-based startup Relativity Space called off the planned debut launch of its 3D-printed rocket in Florida on Wednesday over fuel temperature concerns, delaying a key test of the company's novel strategy for cutting manufacturing costs.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Relativity postpones Florida launch of 3D-printed Terran rocket

California-based startup Relativity Space called off the planned debut launch of its 3D-printed rocket in Florida on Wednesday over fuel temperature concerns, delaying a key test of the company's novel strategy for cutting manufacturing costs. The 110-foot-tall (35-meter) Terran 1 rocket, 85% of which was fabricated from a 3D-printer, had been scheduled to lift off from a U.S. Space Force Base launch pad in Cape Canaveral on Wednesday afternoon. Dwindling "propellant thermal conditions" in the rocket's second stage during a three-hour launch window ultimately forced a scrub, the company said on Twitter.

Boeing sees Space Launch System rocket fit for Pentagon missions

Boeing is interested in offering its gigantic Space Launch System rocket for an upcoming U.S. military launch procurement program potentially worth billions of dollars, the company said Wednesday, signaling a new strategy for a rocket once exclusive to NASA missions. "The Space Launch System's deep space capability enables the national security, science and space community missions," a Boeing spokesman said, responding to a Reuters inquiry.

Dwarf elephants? Giant rats? Strange island creatures at high risk

A dwarf elephant the size of a Shetland pony once roamed the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. In the West Indies, a giant rat-like rodent tipped the scales at more than 400 pounds (180 kg), rivaling an American black bear. They were examples of the "island effect," a rule in evolutionary biology describing how large-bodied species tend to downsize on islands while small-bodied species upsize. These island dwarfs and giants - a menagerie also including pint-sized hippos, buffaloes and wolves - long have faced an elevated extinction risk that, according to a new study, is intensifying, imperiling some of Earth's most unique creatures.