Live coverage: Intelsat’s first “Epic” satellite in orbit after Ariane 5 launch

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana on Thursday at 1154:53 GMT (7:54:53 a.m. EDT) with the SES 15 communications satellite, a U.S.-built craft designed to support in-flight connectivity, video broadcasts and airborne navigation over North America.

Powering off the planet just after sunset Friday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off from Cape Canaveral with the multi-mission SES 9 communications satellite to link millions of homes, businesses, ships and airplanes across the Asia-Pacific.

SpaceX intends to cut the price of a Falcon 9 rocket launch by up to 30 percent when flying with reused first stage boosters, an achievement the company still hopes to demonstrate before the end of the year, SpaceX’s president said recently.