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

A Falcon 9 rocket is moved into the position for a static test firing of its nine Merlin 1D engines. This time lapse video runs at 20 times normal speed.

Built and financed by China, a $258 million Laotian communications satellite project launched Friday aboard a Long March 3B rocket to better connect the mountainous Southeast Asia nation and surrounding regions.

Gearing up for the third Falcon 9 launch in less than two-and-a-half weeks, SpaceX fired up a rocket booster at Cape Canaveral on Thursday ahead of an early morning launch Tuesday with an Indonesian communications satellite.