Science News Roundup: Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft enters lunar orbit; 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.

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.

US space startups' latest struggles marked by layoffs, shake-ups

U.S. space startups have slashed workforces and restructured operations to survive amid an investment drought that has grounded once-lofty aspirations. While more established players like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spend billions on new, bigger rockets, rocket startup Astra Space, satellite imagery firm Planet Labs and privately held engine maker Ursa Major recently laid off workers to cut costs.

(With inputs from agencies.)