Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with LISA Pathfinder

NASA officials plan to host a news conference at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) Monday to update the status of the Perseverance rover’s mission on Mars. During the briefing, NASA is expected to release first-of-its-kind video captured by the mission during its descent to the Red Planet.

A European re-entry demonstrator launched aboard a solid-fueled Vega rocket at 1340 GMT (8:40 a.m. EST) from French Guiana, kicking off a whirlwind 102-minute around-the-world test flight to validate technologies that could be used on future reusable launchers and spaceships.

The U.S. military’s next GPS navigation satellite was ready for launch from Cape Canaveral at 9:43 p.m. EDT Friday (0143 GMT Saturday) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But SpaceX aborted the countdown just two seconds prior to liftoff.