Live coverage: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket makes its final launch of the year

United Launch Alliance moved its next Atlas 5 rocket off its Florida launch pad Wednesday for inspections after a cooling duct unexpectedly disconnected before a planned countdown rehearsal to prepare for liftoff next month with the joint U.S.-European Solar Orbiter mission. The roll back to the Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral’s Complex 41 launch pad could delay Solar Orbiter’s liftoff, which was scheduled for Feb. 5

Europe’s Sentinel 2A land imaging satellite designed to glimpse cities, farms and forests from orbit launched aboard a Vega rocket. The 2,500-pound satellite lifted off at 0151:58 GMT Tuesday (9:51:58 p.m. EDT Monday).

Japan’s eighth resupply mission to the International Space Station is set for liftoff Sept. 10 with another batch of upgraded batteries, crew provisions and experiments for the orbiting research lab, the country’s space agency announced Monday.