Science News Roundup: New space station flight planned for spring; Russia may resume manned space flights

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

International Space Station crew has enough supplies for at least six months: Russian official

The crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has enough fuel, oxygen, water, and food to last at least six months, Vladimir Solovyov, flight director of the Russian segment of the ISS, was cited as saying by Russian news agencies on Sunday. Russia has temporarily suspended all manned space launches after two astronauts made a dramatic emergency landing in Kazakhstan on Thursday due to the failure of the Soyuz rocket carrying them to the orbital ISS.

New Russian space station flight planned for spring - the space agency

The head of Russia's space agency said on Friday that two astronauts who survived the mid-air failure of a Russian rocket would fly again and would provisionally travel to the International Space Station (ISS) in spring of next year. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, was speaking a day after Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin and American Nick Hague made a dramatic emergency landing in Kazakhstan after the failure of the Soyuz rocket carrying them to the orbital ISS.

Russia may resume manned space flights on November 28: Interfax

The next manned flight of a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) could take place on Nov. 28, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian space industry source on Saturday as saying. A Russian cosmonaut and a U.S. astronaut survived an aborted liftoff after a Soyuz rocket bound for the ISS failed in mid-air two minutes after the launch in Kazakhstan, leading to a dramatic emergency landing.

Virgin's Branson halts talks on $1 billion Saudi investment in space ventures

British billionaire Richard Branson said on Thursday that his Virgin Group would suspend its discussions with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund over a planned $1 billion investment in the group's space ventures, in light of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government," Branson said in a statement.