Science News Roundup: Danish astronaut flying on SpaceX shuttle warns Europe not to fall behind in space; Virgin Orbit auctions $36 million in remaining assets as company folds and more

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Danish astronaut flying on SpaceX shuttle warns Europe not to fall behind in space Europe is at risk of falling behind in the global space race and missing out on key technologies, Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen said ahead of his second trip into space onboard Elon Musk's next SpaceX mission in August.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Danish astronaut flying on SpaceX shuttle warns Europe not to fall behind in space

Europe is at risk of falling behind in the global space race and missing out on key technologies, Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen said ahead of his second trip into space onboard Elon Musk's next SpaceX mission in August. Mogensen, who will be the first non-American pilot to steer the SpaceX Crew Dragon shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS), hopes to one day fly into space on an independent European mission.

Virgin Orbit auctions $36 million in remaining assets as company folds

Richard Branson's bankrupt satellite launch firm, Virgin Orbit, on Tuesday revealed that it was closing for good after a $36.4 million asset sale, including an agreement to sell the bulk of its Long Beach, California, headquarters to small-launch firm Rocket Lab USA Inc. Rocket Lab, the seasoned small-rocket company whose headquarters is less than a mile from Virgin Orbit's, won the bankrupt rocket company's primary manufacturing site for $16 million during an auction held on Monday, according to a court filing disclosing the results of a weeks-long Chapter 11 bid process.

South Korea cancels third launch of homegrown rocket due to technical problems

South Korea cancelled the third flight of its homegrown space rocket on Wednesday because of technical problems hours before a launch that was meant to mark a significant step in its burgeoning space programme. South Korea is aspiring to be a key player in space technology, competing with its Asian neighbours.

Britain pledges funding for carbon dioxide measurement project in Brazilian Amazon

Britain on Tuesday announced new funding for a landmark scientific experiment deep in Brazil's Amazon rainforest that will measure the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels on trees, the British embassy said. Foreign Secretary James Cleverley visited the project north of the city of Manaus where scientists are erecting dozens of towers that will inject carbon dioxide into the forest canopy and monitor how the plants absorb it.

South African fossils reveal ancient beast's epic journey to oblivion

It was a dire moment for life on Earth. Runaway global warming triggered by calamitous volcanism in Siberia inflicted the worst mass extinction on record - dooming perhaps 90% of species - roughly 252 million years ago at the end of the Permian Period. Unlike the asteroid 66 million years ago that ravaged the dinosaurs, this extinction event unfolded over a protracted time span, with species perishing one by one as conditions worsened. Scientists said on Monday fossils unearthed in South Africa provide a peek into this drama, telling the tale of an apex predator that over multiple generations migrated halfway around the world in a desperate, and ultimately failed, bid to survive.

(With inputs from agencies.)