Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Ariane 5 rocket with the Arabsat 6B and GSAT 15 communications satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
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Chinese TV broadcasting satellite reaches operational orbit after off-target launch
The Chinasat 9A communications satellite has arrived at its operational perch more than 22,000 miles over the equator after a Long March rocket deployed the craft in a lower-than-planned orbit last month due to a roll control error in the launcher’s third stage, according to China’s top state-owned aerospace contractor.
Falcon 9
Live coverage: SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink satellites
After a terminal countdown abort Sunday night, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with the next 60 Starlink internet satellites Thursday at 3:24 a.m. EST (0824 GMT). The Falcon 9 took off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, and its first stage booster successfully landed on SpaceX’s offshore drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9
SpaceX launches Qatar’s Es’hail 2 communications satellite
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket darted into a partly cloudy sky over Florida’s Space Coast with a roar Thursday afternoon, carrying the Japanese-built Es’hail 2 communications satellite into space to beam commercial video and data services across the Middle East and expand connectivity for Qatar’s military.