Science News Roundup: China launches second space station module, Wentian; SpaceX whizzes past annual launch record with Starlink mission and more

SpaceX's 32nd launch of 2022 using its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket comes as the company races to build a constellation of broadband satellites called Starlink, a largely consumer-based service with hundreds of thousands of internet users. Ruwani becomes third elephant to die from herpes virus at Zurich Zoo Another elephant has died at Zurich Zoo from the herpes virus, the park said on Saturday, the third to die there from the condition since the end of June.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

China launches second space station module, Wentian

China on Sunday launched the second of three modules to its permanent space station, in one of the final missions needed to complete the orbiting outpost by year's end. A live feed on state broadcaster CCTV showed the 23-tonne Wentian ("Quest for the Heavens") laboratory module launching on the back of China's most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B, at 2:22 p.m. (0622 GMT) from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan.

SpaceX whizzes past annual launch record with Starlink mission

Elon Musk's SpaceX on Friday broke its record for the number of rockets launched in a calendar year, topping last year's slate of 31 missions amid a whirlwind campaign to launch its own internet satellites into orbit. SpaceX's 32nd launch of 2022 using its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket comes as the company races to build a constellation of broadband satellites called Starlink, a largely consumer-based service with hundreds of thousands of internet users.

Ruwani becomes third elephant to die from herpes virus at Zurich Zoo

Another elephant has died at Zurich Zoo from the herpes virus, the park said on Saturday, the third to die there from the condition since the end of June. Ruwani, a five-year-old elephant cow, died on Saturday morning after succumbing to Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), a condition carried latently by nearly all elephants.