Photos: Atlas 5 launches navigation craft from Cape Canaveral

This is our comprehensive fact sheet previewing the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket deployment of the classified NROL-42 payload for the National Reconnaissance Office.

The Leo Atlas 8 mission was also the final flight of an Atlas 5 551 configuration. Liftoff from pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 12:30:15 a.m. EDT (0430:15 UTC).

Egypt’s first military communications satellite and a powerhouse spacecraft to beam Internet signals to airline passengers and maritime vessels across Europe and the Middle East rocketed into orbit Tuesday on the 250th flight of an Ariane launcher.