WASHINGTON — NASA’s plans to buy future launches of the Space Launch System as a service are unlikely to achieve hoped-for cost savings, the agency’s inspector general concluded, recommending NASA keep its options open for alternative launch vehicles.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...