Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science ​news briefs.

Swiss glaciers lose more ​than 5% of ice ‌after ​record heatwave

Swiss glaciers are shrinking rapidly after suffering one of their worst years of ice loss during ‌a record-breaking European heatwave. Switzerland's glaciers lost more than 5% of their ice in 2026, a report by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) and the Swiss ‌Commission for Cryosphere Observation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences showed ‌on Thursday.

SpaceX launches 13th long-duration astronaut crew to International Space Station

A SpaceX rocket lifted off from Florida on Thursday with a crew of two US astronauts, a Canadian ⁠astronaut ​and a Russian cosmonaut ⁠headed to the International Space Station for a science mission devoted to human health ⁠and performance in orbit. The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, topped with an autonomously operated Crew ​Dragon capsule carrying the four-member crew, was launched from the Cape ⁠Canaveral Space Force Station, along Florida's Atlantic Coast.

France's HyPrSpace targets 100 'Baguette One' rocket engines a year ⁠in ​debut factory

HyPrSpace has opened its first mass production factory in France, it said on Thursday, targeting 100 rocket engines a year as ⁠the French space startup gears up for a planned test flight next year. HyPrSpace ⁠is one ⁠of several European space startups seeking to capitalise on growing demand and falling costs of space launches, with governments ‌and ‌commercial operators worldwide planning to put thousands ​of satellites into orbit.