Live coverage: Space station crew concludes 186 days in orbit

A Russian Soyuz booster blasted off from a snow-covered launch pad in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with nearly 6,000 pounds of fuel, water and supplies for the International Space Station.

Catching a break from nearby thunderstorms, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared through mostly cloudy skies into space Saturday on the 100th launch from historic pad 39A in Florida, sending a fresh batch of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station.

Arianespace has split its third order of Vega rockets from Italy’s Avio between old and new versions of the solid-fueled booster, as officials prepare to build a final batch of around 18 Ariane 5 rockets before switching to the next-generation Ariane 6 in the early 2020s.