NASA's bet on Relativity Space for a 2028 Mars mission is either visionary or a warning sign about SpaceX dependency

NASA has selected Relativity Space, the rocket startup run by ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, to build and launch the Aeolus Mars orbiter in 2028. The company has never successfully reached orbit, and its Terran R rocket has yet to fly, making the partnership a high-stakes bet on a new kind of public-private space deal and a deliberate hedge against NASA's dependence on SpaceX.