Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket deploys satellites for Australia, India

Sunday’s liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket marked the 16th flight of SpaceX’s workhorse launcher, and its third mission of the year. Here is another set of launch photos from SpaceX.

Armed with $460 million in fresh financing to grow its broadband communications capacity, O3b Networks has selected Thales Alenia Space to build eight new satellites and Arianespace to launch at least four of them aboard a Soyuz rocket in 2018.

Eight of Iridium’s first ten upgraded communications satellites launched in January started providing voice and data relay service ahead of schedule, and SpaceX says it can launch up to 40 more Iridium spacecraft by the end of the year, Iridium officials reported Thursday.