Live coverage: Ariane 5 blasts off with two Intelsat satellites

SpaceX announced Monday two new Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rocket missions from Cape Canaveral, Arianespace said it cinched a contract to launch a Japanese TV broadcasting satellite, and International Launch Services revealed a deal to launch a Spanish telecommunications payload, ending a drought in commercial Proton launch orders.

The 100th flight by United Launch Alliance took off Friday for deployment of a sophisticated geomobile communications satellite to bridge the digital divide in Mexico while extending the rocket company’s unparalleled record of success in launching $80 billion in space assets.

Russia’s unpiloted Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft departed the International Space Station at 2:14 p.m. EDT (1814 GMT) and landed in Kazakhstan at 5:32 p.m. EDT (2132 GMT) Friday to conclude a nearly 16-day test flight. The spacecraft carried Russia’s Skybot F-850 robot back to Earth after completing a series of tests with Russian cosmonauts on the station.