Science News Roundup: SpaceX project clears US FAA environmental review; Astra’s mission to NASA suffers failure, loss of weather satellites and more

Here is a summary of current scientific news.

SpaceX project accepts US FAA environmental review

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday approved a final environmental assessment of the proposed SpaceX Starship spacecraft and superheavy rocket program in Boca Chica, Texas, after requiring more than 75 conditions. The FAA issued a “No Significant Impact” finding but is imposing certain limits on launches and requiring measures to limit environmental impacts, the agency said, removing a roadblock to the program.

Pandemic stress can disrupt the ovaries; blood test can improve immunity assessment

Here is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that deserves further study to corroborate the findings and that has not yet been certified by peer review. Pandemic stress can have a subtle impact on the ovaries

Astra’s mission to NASA fails, loss of weather satellites

Rocket company Astra Space’s mission to send tiny NASA storm-watching satellites into orbit on Sunday failed after a second-stage booster engine shut down early in space. The failure occurred about 10 minutes after Astra’s Rocket 3.3 successfully lifted off at 1:43 p.m. ET (1743 GMT) from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

(With agency contributions.)