Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with LISA Pathfinder

SpaceX rolled out a Falcon 9 rocket to launch pad 39A early Tuesday for a prelaunch hotfire test before this weekend’s liftoff with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. government spy satellite agency. The static fire test was completed at 3:02 p.m. (1902 GMT).

Backed by a fresh capital infusion and regulatory rights to a valued slice of satellite communications spectrum, the space-based Internet company OneWeb has contracted with Arianespace and Virgin Galactic to deploy hundreds of refrigerator-sized spacecraft around Earth.

The Leo Europe 03 mission will see Arianespace send a batch of 36 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana is scheduled during a window that opens up at 8:53 a.m. Kourou time (7:53 a.m. EDT / 1153 UTC).