Science News Roundup: Russia puts Iranian satellite into orbit; Northrop taps rocket startup Firefly to replace Antares’ Russian engines

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Northrop taps rocket startup Firefly to replace Antares’ Russian engines

Northrop Grumman is partnering with rocket startup Firefly Aerospace to build a new version of its workhorse Antares rocket without Russian-made engines that were cut off from the United States after the invasion of Ukraine, the company said on Monday. The new version of Antares, a rocket which NASA uses to ferry cargo to the International Space Station, will use seven Miranda engines under development by Firefly, Northrop said in a statement, adding that the two companies will later work on an entirely new launch vehicle.

Russia puts Iranian satellite into orbit

Russia launched an Iranian satellite into orbit on Tuesday from southern Kazakhstan, just three weeks after President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged to work together against the West. The remote Khayyam sensing satellite, named after the 11th Century Persian poet and philosopher Omar Khayyam, was launched by a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and entered orbit successfully, Russia’s space agency said.

(With inputs from agencies.)