Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with LISA Pathfinder

The first Ariane 5 rocket scheduled for launch in 2018 has been topped off with two communications satellites for SES and Yahsat, moving the European booster closer to liftoff Thursday from a tropical launch pad in French Guiana with payloads to serve commercial and scientific missions.

South Korea’s Anasis 2 military communications satellite, built in Europe by Airbus, lifted off Monday from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Launch occurred at 5:30 p.m. EDT (2130 GMT).

An Ariane 5 rocket topped by a heavyweight communications satellite for Eutelsat emerged from its hangar in French Guiana on Monday for a railroad ride to a nearby launch pad for final flight preps.