Live coverage: International crew lands in Kazakhstan

The next pair of spacecraft to join Europe’s Galileo navigation system are positioned for liftoff late Thursday aboard a Soyuz rocket. These photos chronicle the preparation of the satellites for launch at the Guiana Space Center.

The sixth commercial cargo delivery by Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft, and the first using an Antares rocket since a launch failure in 2014, will carry more than 5,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station.

NASA announced Friday a mix of spaceflight veterans and rookie astronauts who will launch on the first flights of new Boeing and SpaceX commercial spaceships starting as soon as next spring, several months later than previously scheduled.