Live coverage: Vega rocket launches with LISA Pathfinder

The mission was the sixth launch of a Vega-C rocket to date. Liftoff from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana occurred at 2:21 p.m. local time (12:21 p.m. EST / 1721 UTC).

As a barebones Orion spacecraft awaits its first launch from Cape Canaveral, representatives of European governments agreed to fund the development of a power and propulsion element to take the crew capsule on voyages around the moon, to an asteroid, and eventually to Mars.

Two European-made communications satellites destined to serve the Brazilian government and commercial customers across Asia are set to ride an Ariane 5 rocket into orbit Thursday.