Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

SpaceX's Starship ​nears end of 15th test flight and return-landing ​attempt

SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft cruised ‌around the globe ​on Saturday nearing the end of its 15th test flight and what the company hoped would be an unprecedented pinpoint return landing at ‌the exact spot in Texas from which it launched. Starship's uncrewed upper stage is poised to re-enter Earth's atmosphere after nearly a day in orbit and steer back toward its launch tower, then make an engine-controlled final ‌descent into the embrace of giant mechanical arms designed to catch the vehicle as it hovers ‌over the launchpad.

NASA's Voyager 1 probe poised to achieve mega-distance milestone

NASA's Voyager 1 has already traveled farther than any other spacecraft from Earth since its launch in 1977. The probe, which exited our solar system years ago and is journeying through interstellar ⁠space, ​is now on the ⁠cusp of a remarkable milestone — traversing a light-day, the distance light travels in 24 hours. A light-day is about 16 billion ⁠miles (26 billion km). The US space agency said Voyager 1, flying at almost 38,000 miles per hour (61,000 kph) through ​the virtual vacuum of space, will reach that distance from Earth on Wednesday at 5:16 ⁠a.m. ET (1016 GMT). The robotic spacecraft has the distinction of being the most distant human-made object.

SpaceX launches 15th Starship flight ⁠with ​hopes of achieving first round trip

SpaceX launched the 15th flight of its Starship spacecraft from Texas on Friday on a mission the company hopes will be the first round-trip rocket voyage into orbit ⁠and back to the very spot where it left Earth, a key test of Elon Musk's bid ⁠to build a fully ⁠reusable rocket system. Plans call for Starship's uncrewed upper-stage vessel to re-enter the atmosphere after nearly a day in orbit and return to its launch tower on ‌Saturday for an ‌engine-controlled touchdown assisted by the giant mechanical arms of ​a pioneering catch-landing mechanism.