Science News Roundup: Parachutist makes world's first jump and Boeing's first Starliner crewed mission tentatively slated for 2021

Parachutist makes world's first jump from solar-powered plane A parachutist completed the world's first jump from a solar-powered aircraft on Tuesday after the plane soared to a height of 1,520 metres (nearly 5,000 ft) over western Switzerland, Swiss organisers said. The two-seater prototype plane made the test flight in good weather and to promote renewable energy.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Parachutist makes world's first jump from solar-powered plane

A parachutist completed the world's first jump from a solar-powered aircraft on Tuesday after the plane soared to a height of 1,520 meters (nearly 5,000 ft) over western Switzerland, Swiss organizers said. The two-seater prototype plane made the test flight in good weather and to promote renewable energy. Parachutist Raphael Domjan reached a speed of 150 kilometers per hour during his jump, landing near the project base in Payerne.

Boeing's first Starliner crewed mission tentatively slated for 2021

Boeing Co said on Tuesday it aims to redo its unmanned Starliner crew capsule flight test to the International Space Station (ISS) in December or January, depending on when it completes software and test hardware production development. If the test mission is successful, Boeing and NASA will fly Starliner's first crewed mission in summer 2021, with a post-certification mission roughly scheduled for the following winter, the company added.