Live coverage: Ariane 5 soars into space from Kourou

An Indian Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off Monday with the first in a new generation of upgraded regional navigation satellites designed to be interoperable with other countries’ global navigation networks.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral today at 7:42 p.m. EST (0042 GMT) to deploy the U.S. military’s SBIRS GEO Flight 3 observatory, equipped with advanced telescopic infrared vision to spot enemy missile launches, for early warning surveillance.

A batch of rockets will support sending up to about 60 of AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites to orbit. The company’s goal is to establish a space-based cellular broadband network.