Live coverage of the countdown and launch of an Ariane 5 rocket with the Sky Muster 2 and GSAT 18 communications satellites. Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
Falcon 9
Launch preps advance in California for next Falcon 9 flight
SpaceX’s fifth launch of replacement spacecraft for Iridium’s global voice and data communications network is set for March 29 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a flight that Iridium hopes will signal the start of a brisk pace of West Coast missions to complete deployment of the telecom company’s initial 75-satellite constellation this summer.
News
Live coverage: NASA’s Juno spacecraft arrives at Jupiter
NASA’s Juno spacecraft barreled toward a Fourth of July rendezvous with Jupiter after a 1.7-billion-mile, five-year trip from planet Earth. The research probe’s main engine ignited for 35 minutes to maneuver Juno into orbit, and engineers received confirmation of the burn’s conclusion on time at 11:53 p.m. EDT Monday (0353 GMT Tuesday).