Live coverage: Falcon 9 disintegrates after launch

The Israeli satellite operator Spacecom has tapped a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver its next geostationary communications satellite to orbit in 2019 using approximately $50 million in credits the company paid SpaceX for a mission last year that ended in an explosion on the launch pad.

SpaceX swapped out the Falcon 9 vehicle after a last-second abort at engine ignition during a launch attempt on June 14. Liftoff of the Starlink 10-2 mission happened at 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 UTC) on Sunday.

Japan’s space agency has set Sept. 30 as the target launch date for the country’s sixth resupply mission to the International Space Station, carrying cargo, experiments and six lithium-ion batteries to kick off a major upgrade of the lab’s electrical system.