This marks only the third asteroid sample, and by far the biggest, ever returned to Earth for analysis, following two similar missions by Japan's space agency ending in 2010 and 2020.

Luna-25, Russia's first moon mission in 47 years, failed on Aug 19 when it spun out of control and crashed into the moon, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme.

The seemingly sudden competition to get to a previously unexplored region of the moon recalls the space race of the 1960s, when the US and the Soviet Union competed.

Russia's Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme.

Luna-25 will aim to operate for a year on the moon's south pole, where scientists at Nasa and other space agencies in recent years have detected traces of water ice in the region's shadowed craters.

The latest evidence comes from an instrument called Sherloc mounted on the six-wheeled rover's robotic arm that enables a detailed mapping and analysis of organic molecules.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying them parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, after a 12-hour return flight and blazing re-entry plunge through Earth's atmosphere.

Data obtained by Juno is providing fresh information on how the lightning processes on Jupiter are similar to those on Earth despite the dramatic differences between the two planets, according to scientists.

The research, informed by the first detection of seismic waves traveling through the core of a planet other than Earth, showed that the innermost layer of Mars is slightly smaller and denser than previously known.

The H3 was carrying the ALOS-3, a disaster management land observation satellite that is also equipped with an experimental infrared sensor designed to detect North Korean ballistic missile launches.

The SpaceX launch vehicle lifted off at 12.34am EST (0534 GMT) from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The US space agency and SpaceX, the private rocket company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, cited a technical glitch concerning the flow of ignition fluid used to help start the spacecraft's engines.