Science News Roundup: SpaceX rocket sends first global water survey mission into orbit; NASA formally retires Mars InSight lander after 4-year mission and more

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. NASA formally retires Mars InSight lander after 4-year mission NASA has formally retired its Mars InSight lander, the first robotic probe specially designed to study the deep interior of a distant world, four years after it arrived on the surface of the red planet, the U.S. space agency announced on Wednesday.

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.

NASA formally retires Mars InSight lander after 4-year mission

NASA has formally retired its Mars InSight lander, the first robotic probe specially designed to study the deep interior of a distant world, four years after it arrived on the surface of the red planet, the U.S. space agency announced on Wednesday. Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles determined the mission was over when two consecutive attempts to re-establish radio contact with the lander failed, a sign that InSight's solar-powered batteries had run out of energy.

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 mulls early return of space station crew after Soyuz capsule leak

Russia's space agency said it is considering a "rescue" plan to send an empty spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring home three crew members ahead of schedule, after their Soyuz capsule sprang a coolant leak while docked to the orbiting outpost. Roscosmos and NASA officials said at a news conference on Thursday they continue to investigate how the coolant line of the capsule's external radiator sustained a tiny puncture last week, just as two cosmonauts were preparing for a routine spacewalk.

Italy's Vega grounded as investigators probe failed launch

Italy's Vega rockets have been grounded and an investigation is under way after the latest model failed on its second mission, destroying two Earth-imaging satellites and further complicating Europe's access to space on top of the war in Ukraine. Launch firm Arianespace said on Wednesday a "serious anomaly" occurred two minutes and 27 seconds after the upgraded Vega C left the pad in French Guiana, thwarting efforts to add two satellites to the Pleiades Neo constellation operated by Airbus.

(With inputs from agencies.)