Briefly

UNITED STATES

NASA loses contact with moon spacecraft

NASA said on Tuesday it has lost contact with a $32.7 million spacecraft headed to the moon to test out a lopsided lunar orbit, but agency engineers are hopeful they can fix the problem. After one successful communication and a second partial one on Monday, the space agency said it could no longer communicate with the spacecraft called Capstone. Engineers were trying to find the cause of the communications drop-off and are optimistic they can fix it, NASA spokesperson Sarah Frazier said on Tuesday. The spacecraft, which launched from New Zealand on June 28, had spent nearly a week in Earth orbit and had been successfully kick-started on its way to the moon when contact was lost.

FRANCE

Strike for higher pay disrupts rail services

A strike by railway workers demanding higher pay amid cost of living increases interrupted train service in France on Wednesday. National railway company SNCF said about 1 in 4 high-speed trains was canceled, while regional services such as suburban trains in the Paris region experienced disruptions. The company's main union, the CGT, said in a statement that it wants "general wage increases at least equal to the rising inflation "after 10 years of wage freezes. The strike comes as many travelers planned to use trains to go on summer vacations.

Agencies - Xinhua