In this week of Science Saturday, we keep you updated with the latest science and tech news making headlines around the world, ranging from a space accident at the International Space Station (ISS) to Amazon's record fine. 

Space incident

The ISS back-flipped out of control after a Russian module misfired. The incident happened last week, some three hours after the Nauka module docked to the space station. As Russian crew members were working to integrate the newly arrived section, Nauka's thrusters began to fire, causing the ISS to roll backwards. Russian flight controllers eventually re-gained control. But for a 47-minute span, the situation looked uncertain. Russia said there was a software problem in the science lab. The positioning of the ISS is key for getting power from solar panels and communications. 

Massive ice melting

A massive melting event struck Greenland after a record heat wave. Since late July, roughly 9.37 billion tonnes of ice have been lost per day from the surface of the enormous ice sheet. This is reportedly twice its normal average rate of loss during summer. The huge loss comes after temperatures in north Greenland rose to above 20 degrees Celsius, which doubles its summer average. Greenland's ice sheet is the world's second largest on Earth after Antarctica's. Scientists estimate its melting has caused 25 percent of global rises in sea level. 

Space exploration

The world's first commercial re-programmable satellite blasted into space. The Eutelsat Quantum blasted off from French Guiana last week, on an Ariane 5 rocket. Conventional models are designed and "hard-wired" on Earth and cannot be repurposed once in orbit. But the Quantum allows users to tailor the communications to their needs – almost in real time. This opens up a new era of more flexible communications. For instance, the quantum can be used to provide mobile coverage for moving objects such as aircraft or oceangoing vessels, or to provide coverage after a natural disaster. The quantum will cover a large geographical area from West Africa to Asia for 15 years. 

Data privacy

Amazon was hit with an $886-million EU data privacy fine. Regulators say the e-commerce giant has violated the bloc's rules on processing personal data. Amazon says it'll appeal the fine. Globally, regulatory scrutiny of tech giants has been rising following a string of scandals over user privacy and misinformation. In December, France's data privacy watchdog gave its biggest ever fine of $118.8 million to Google for breaching its rules on online advertising trackers.