Science News Roundup: SpaceX rocket sends first global water survey mission into orbit; Endangered pink iguana hatchlings seen for first time on Galapagos island and more

Temperatures on board the capsule have since risen and Roscosmos has scrambled to investigate the cause and decide how to resolve the issue. Scientists freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world-first trial Scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae they say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

SpaceX rocket sends first global water survey mission into orbit

A SpaceX rocket blasted off early on Friday carrying a U.S.-French satellite designed to conduct an unprecedented global survey of Earth's surface waters, a mission expected to shed new light on the mechanics and consequences of climate change. The Falcon 9 booster owned and operated by Elon Musk's commercial rocket company lit up the predawn sky along California's coast as it roared off its launch pad at the Vandenberg U.S. Space Force Base, about 160 miles (260 km) northwest of Los Angeles.

Endangered pink iguana hatchlings seen for first time on Galapagos island

Scientists have discovered hatchling and juvenile populations of the Galapagos pink land iguana, an endangered reptile native to a sole island on the Ecuadorean archipelago, for the first time since the species' discovery just decades ago. Native only to the slopes of Wolf Volcano on the Galapagos' Isabela Island, the iguana is considered critically endangered and just several hundred are left, according to estimates.

Russia says leak on Soyuz spacecraft caused by 0.8-millimetre hole

A hole less than one millimetre in diameter is to blame for a coolant leak from a Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked at the International Space Station (ISS), the head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency said on Monday. A routine spacewalk by two Russian cosmonauts was cancelled last week after NASA noticed a stream of fluid spewing from the vessel. Temperatures on board the capsule have since risen and Roscosmos has scrambled to investigate the cause and decide how to resolve the issue.

Scientists freeze Great Barrier Reef coral in world-first trial

Scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae they say could eventually help rewild reefs threatened by climate change. Scientists are scrambling to protect coral reefs as rising ocean temperatures destabilise delicate ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years including the first ever bleach during a La Nina phenomenon, which typically brings cooler temperatures.