Science News Roundup: Japan resupply mission to space station delayed by launch pad fire

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Water found in atmosphere of planet beyond our solar system

Scientists for the first time have detected water in the atmosphere of an Earth-like planet orbiting a distant star, evidence that a key ingredient for life exists beyond our solar system, according to a study published on Wednesday. Water vapor was found in the atmosphere of K2-18b, one of the hundreds of "super-Earths" - worlds ranging in size between Earth and Neptune - documented in a growing new field of astronomy devoted to the exploration of so-called exoplanets elsewhere in the Milky Way galaxy.

Japan resupply mission to space station delayed by launch pad fire

Japan said it halted a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday because of a launch pad fire that grounded the rocket. A fire at the base of the of the launch pad Japan's Tanegashima island broke out near a vent designed to carry engine exhaust away from the heavy-lift H2B rocket, according to a press release from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), which is conducting the mission on behalf of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

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