Science News Roundup: KBR wins $570 million contract for NASA spaceflight operations; China postpones Beidou satellite launch over technical problem and more

Under the contract, KBR will perform International Space Station payload operations and support the testing of NASA's flagship space launch system. The official website for the Beidou network said in a statement that problems were detected during pre-launch tests of the Long March-3B booster and that the new launch date would be determined later.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

KBR wins $570 million contract for NASA spaceflight operations

Houston-based engineering company KBR Inc said on Monday it was awarded a $570.3 million contract by NASA to develop and execute spaceflight operations at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the contract, KBR will perform International Space Station payload operations and support the testing of NASA's flagship space launch system.

China postpones Beidou satellite launch over technical problem

China indefinitely postponed on Tuesday the launch of the final satellite of its Beidou navigation network because of technical problems in the rocket meant to launch it into orbit. The official website for the Beidou network said in a statement that problems were detected during pre-launch tests of the Long March-3B booster and that the new launch date would be determined later. It did not offer specifics on the problems or the launch date.

(With inputs from agencies.)