Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Elbit Systems launches nanosatellite for commercial communications

Israeli defense electronics firm Elbit Systems said on Wednesday its nanosatellite, called Nanova, was successfully launched into space. Nanova was developed in collaboration with an unnamed U.S. company and is planned to be a part of a nanosatellite constellation for commercial purposes. Boeing astronaut capsule faces key test on trip to space station

Boeing Co is set to launch its new astronaut capsule on Friday on its first unmanned journey to the International Space Station, a milestone test for the U.S. aerospace firm that is vying with SpaceX to revive NASA's human spaceflight capabilities. Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, a cone-shaped pod capable of carrying up to seven astronauts, will blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral around 6:36 a.m. local time (1136 GMT), atop an Atlas V rocket from Boeing-Lockheed Martin Corp's United Launch Alliance.