Summary of Science News from Reuters

German company HyImpulse made history on Friday by successfully launching a candle wax-powered rocket on a test suborbital flight into space. This groundbreaking achievement marks the first time a candle wax-powered rocket has been used to carry commercial satellites, showcasing Germany’s prowess as a spacefaring nation.

“We’re signaling Germany’s prowess as a spacefaring nation and expanding Europe’s access to space,” said HyImpulse’s chief executive Mario Kobald in a statement following the successful test flight.

In other space news, Boeing is set to send its first astronaut crew to space after years of delay. The Starliner space capsule will carry two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in a final demonstration before being approved for routine space trips under the space agency’s commercial crew program. This milestone comes after years of delays and more than $1 billion in cost overruns for Boeing.

Meanwhile, scientists are intrigued by the behavior of a male Sumatran orangutan named Rakus, who was observed using a medicinal plant to treat a wound sustained during a fight with another orangutan. The plant, known for its pain-relieving and wound-healing properties, caught the attention of researchers at the Suaq Balimbing research site in Indonesia.

Additionally, a team of researchers has discovered a potential breeding ground for smooth hammerhead sharks off an island in Ecuador’s Galapagos archipelago. This sighting would be a rare find and could be the first breeding site for smooth hammerheads in the Galapagos if confirmed.

As space exploration continues to advance, scientists are also exploring ways to improve crop yields on Mars for future human bases or colonies. By optimizing space farming techniques, researchers at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands have identified a promising method called “intercropping” to improve crop yields in simulated Martian soil.