Photos: Launch boosts satellite for U.S. allies

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.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket took off Saturday from California with the InSight spacecraft heading for Mars.

Scientists eager for answers to long-standing questions about the geology of Mars will get a lift Saturday with the blastoff from California of an Atlas 5 rocket with NASA’s InSight mission, a robotic landing craft that will take the pulse and temperature of the red planet.