Russia on Friday launched a European satellite dedicated to monitoring the Earth's atmosphere, the protective layer that shields the planet from the sun's radiation, live footage from the cosmodrome showed.

Two U.S. astronauts have installed a high-definition video camera at the International Space Station and made more progress on repairs to the lab's robotic arm, NASA said.

NASA spokesman Rob Navias described the camera equipment as offering "new eyes" to the orbiting outpost, as live video showed astronaut Randy Bresnik in sharp detail, floating in his white spacesuit.

Two NASA astronauts wrapped up a successful spacewalk Thursday to repair the International Space Station's aging robotic arm, the U.S. space agency said.

The outing by Americans Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hei ended at 3 pm (1900 GMT), marking a "very successful day," a NASA spokesman said.

U.S. astrophysicists Barry Barish, Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss were awarded the Nobel Physics Prize on Tuesday for the discovery of gravitational waves, the Nobel jury said.

An Ariane 5 rocket put two commercial satellites into orbit after an initial attempt was aborted earlier this month, operator Arianespace said early Saturday.

A reusable, water-powered Mars lander that will allow humans to explore the Red Planet from an orbiting 'base camp' as early as the 2030s was unveiled Friday by US defence giant Lockheed Martin.

Governments and private firms are collaborating on projects to send humans to new frontiers, with NASA planning missions next decade into the space between Earth and the Moon to prepare for trips to Mars.

Iran's on-off space programme has received a boost after a recent satellite launch was seen to annoy Washington, with Tehran dusting off plans for a manned mission, perhaps with Moscow's assistance.

A team of six naval officers are starting a historic and gruelling around-the-world mission on Sunday -- the first circumnavigation of the globe by an Indian all-female crew.

Two high-intensity solar flares were emitted Wednesday, the second of which was the most intense recorded since the start of this sun cycle in December 2008, NASA said.

A lonely monkey at an Israeli zoo has found a way to soothe her maternal urges: by adopting a chicken.