Science News Roundup: Elon Musk's SpaceX turns profit in first quarter as revenue soars - WSJ; ESA chief sees Ariane 6 debut launch delayed to next year and more

ESA and manufacturer ArianeGroup, owned by Airbus and Safran, have been carrying out ground tests at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana and in Germany for the new launcher, which is needed to fill a gap in space access after the retirement of Ariane 5 and recent failure of the smaller Vega C launcher. Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft enters lunar orbit -space agency Russia's lunar spacecraft entered the moon's orbit on Wednesday, a major step towards the country's ambition of being the first to land on the moon's south pole in the search for frozen water.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Elon Musk's SpaceX turns profit in first quarter as revenue soars - WSJ

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's surging revenue helped it turn a small profit in the first quarter of 2023 after two annual losses, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing documents. The company generated $55 million in profit on $1.5 billion in revenue during the January-to-March period, according to the report.

ESA chief sees Ariane 6 debut launch delayed to next year

The first launch of Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket has slipped into 2024 after an incomplete recent ground test, the head of the European Space Agency suggested in remarks to Reuters. ESA and manufacturer ArianeGroup, owned by Airbus and Safran, have been carrying out ground tests at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana and in Germany for the new launcher, which is needed to fill a gap in space access after the retirement of Ariane 5 and recent failure of the smaller Vega C launcher.

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft enters lunar orbit -space agency

Russia's lunar spacecraft entered the moon's orbit on Wednesday, a major step towards the country's ambition of being the first to land on the moon's south pole in the search for frozen water. The Luna-25 entered the moon's orbit at 11:57 a.m. (0857 GMT), Russia's space corporate Roskosmos said.

(With inputs from agencies.)