Science News Roundup: Analysis-Vulcan rocket's debut brings long-awaited challenge to SpaceX dominance; Fuel leak on Astrobotic's moon lander leaves 'no chance' of soft landing and more

Space robotics firm Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander had launched successfully to space at 2:18 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the first flight of Vulcan, a rocket that had been under development for a decade by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Fuel leak on Astrobotic's moon lander leaves 'no chance' of soft landing

Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander has "no chance" of a soft landing on the moon after springing a propellant leak in the first few hours of its journey in space, the company said on Tuesday about the first such U.S. attempt in five decades. There was 40 hours of fuel left on the lander that will allow it to operate "as a spacecraft" even as engineers determine what its new mission in orbit will be, the space robotics firm said.

Analysis-Vulcan rocket's debut brings long-awaited challenge to SpaceX dominance

A Boeing-Lockheed joint venture's launch of a new Vulcan rocket this week inaugurated a formidable rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX, a milestone long sought by the U.S. government as it seeks to build a list of launch suppliers for its satellites. Boeing and Lockheed Martin's United Launch Alliance sent Vulcan into space for the first time on Monday, a first step toward reclaiming market share from SpaceX, whose reusable Falcon 9 rocket for years has been the main option for countries to get their satellites into space. The payload, a privately funded moon lander, will not finish its mission because of tech problems, but the Vulcan launch in Florida was a success.

DNA from ancient Europeans reveals surprising multiple sclerosis origins

DNA obtained from the bones and teeth of ancient Europeans who lived up to 34,000 years ago is providing insight into the origin of the often-disabling neurological disease multiple sclerosis, finding that genetic variants that now increase its risk once served to protect people from animal-borne diseases. The findings stemmed from research involving ancient DNA sequenced from 1,664 people from various sites across Western Europe and Asia. These ancient genomes were then compared with modern DNA from the UK Biobank, comprising about 410,000 self-identified "white-British" people, and more than 24,000 others born outside the United Kingdom, to discern changes over time.

NASA delays astronaut moon landing to 2026 amid spacecraft 'challenges'

NASA on Tuesday added more delays to its Artemis moon program, scheduling for 2026 its first astronaut lunar landing in half a century while spacecraft from Elon Musk's SpaceX, Lockheed Martin and other contractors face development challenges. The U.S. space agency's first two Artemis missions involving astronauts were each pushed back nearly a year in delays designed "to give the Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges," NASA administrator Bill Nelson told reporters in a news conference.

Moon lander problem threatens mission after Vulcan rocket makes successful debut

A robotic lander built by a private company suffered a propulsion system issue on its way to the moon on Monday, upending the first U.S. soft lunar landing attempt in over 50 years as mission managers scrambled to fix its position in space. Space robotics firm Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander had launched successfully to space at 2:18 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the first flight of Vulcan, a rocket that had been under development for a decade by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).