Reuters Science News Summary

Starship V3, uncrewed and featuring dozens of ‌upgrades tailored for rapid Starlink satellite launches and NASA moon missions, was to be a key ​test for the vehicle following months of testing delays.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

SpaceX's Starship flight hits most targets in pre-IPO test

SpaceX completed a largely successful ​test flight of its next-generation Starship rocket on Friday, deploying a clutch of mock satellites ​and executing a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean in a high-stakes ‌debut ​of the newly upgraded vehicle as Elon Musk's company prepares to go public. The latest uncrewed launch of Starship - designed to enable more frequent Starlink satellite launches and to send future NASA missions to the moon - achieved a key milestone for the vehicle following months of testing delays. The outcome could ‌also boost investor confidence ahead of SpaceX's initial public offering next month, expected to be the largest in history.

Climate change threatens global plant species as habitats shrink

Some of the plants that make familiar landscapes recognizable may not survive by century's end as climate change becomes an increasingly important driver of species loss, according to scientists, reshaping and often shrinking suitable habitats that the plants need to survive. Researchers modelled future ranges for numerous ‌species of vascular plants, a category that accounts for almost all the world's plants - those with water- and nutrient-carrying tissues. They looked at more than 67,000 species, meaning about 18% of the world's ‌known vascular plants.

Factbox-Starship test flights, from explosions to mock satellite deployments

SpaceX is set to launch the 12th uncrewed test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday, the debut of a redesigned vehicle central to Elon Musk's plans for the moon, Mars and the company's looming U.S. listing. The Starship system, made up of SpaceX's Super Heavy booster and Starship upper-stage vehicle, is designed to be fully reusable and is built to carry crew and cargo.

Chicks hatch from artificial egg as US company aims to revive extinct ⁠species

A U.S. company ​said more than two dozen healthy baby chickens have ⁠hatched from an artificial egg platform it has developed in what it calls a pivotal step in its plan to bring back the South Island Giant Moa, a large flightless bird from New Zealand that went extinct centuries ago. The announcement was made ⁠this week by Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to "de-extinction" - resurrecting vanished species. The moa is one of two birds - the dodo being the other - among the six species in its portfolio to revive, guided by ancient DNA. ​The company said last year that it had genetically engineered the dire wolf, an extinct Ice Age predator.

Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza built with sophisticated quake resistance

If ever there were ⁠a structure built to stand the test of time, it surely would be the Great Pyramid of Giza, a transcendent monument to human imagination and ambition. Since being erected during the Old Kingdom period of ancient Egypt, it has stood impassively as time marched ⁠on ​and civilizations rose and fell. Researchers now have discovered one of the reasons for its astonishing durability - it was designed and built with structural features that have helped it withstand the destructive energy of earthquakes since its construction about 4,600 years ago as the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu.

Analysis-SpaceX IPO bets $2 trillion on Musk's ambitious rockets-to-AI vision

Investors buying into SpaceX's nearly $2 trillion IPO are making a high-stakes wager that ⁠CEO Elon Musk can turn a fast-growing satellite business into something far bigger, using an unproven rocket to unlock an ambitious push into AI. Musk has grown SpaceX into the world's largest rocket business ⁠by launching thousands of Starlink internet satellites and pioneering reusable ⁠rockets that have transformed the economics of space.

SpaceX scrubs launch of upgraded Starship from Texas, to retry Friday

SpaceX on Thursday scrubbed the launch of its 12th Starship rocket from Texas and said it will attempt the high-stakes test flight again on Friday, as Elon Musk's space company nears a record-breaking public ‌listing. Starship V3, uncrewed and featuring dozens of ‌upgrades tailored for rapid Starlink satellite launches and NASA moon missions, was to be a key ​test for the vehicle following months of testing delays.