Science News Roundup: Private US moon lander launched half century after last Apollo lunar mission; Japan takes another shot at next-generation H3 rocket launch and more

The company's Nova-C lander, dubbed Odysseus, lifted off shortly after 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) atop a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket flown by Elon Musk' SpaceX from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Launch of private US moon lander postponed by technical glitch in Florida

The planned launch of a robotic moon lander built by Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines was called off less than two hours before Wednesday's liftoff time and postponed for at least a day, launch contractor SpaceX said on Tuesday night. SpaceX, the private rocket and satellite company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, said on the social media platform X that the launch team was "standing down from tonight's attempt" because of irregular methane temperatures before loading.

Japan takes another shot at next-generation H3 rocket launch

Japan will try again this weekend to launch its new flagship rocket, the H3, in a bid to restore its space program after the booster's failed inaugural flight last year derailed satellite and planetary exploration plans. Coupled with the historic "pinpoint" moon landing of its SLIM spacecraft last month, a successful H3 liftoff would demonstrate Japan's space capabilities to its close ally the United States as a counterweight to China's military and technological might.

Private US moon lander launched half century after last Apollo lunar mission

A moon lander built by Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines was launched from Florida early on Thursday on a mission to conduct the first U.S. lunar touchdown in more than a half century and the first by a privately owned spacecraft. The company's Nova-C lander, dubbed Odysseus, lifted off shortly after 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) atop a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket flown by Elon Musk' SpaceX from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.