Video: Time-lapse of Atlas 5’s rollout for launch of GOES-S (members only)

In a pair of mission extensions, NASA has cleared the way for more seismic observations on Mars with the robotic InSight lander and approved plans for the Juno spacecraft to alter its orbit and perform close flybys of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, Ganymede, and the volcanic moon Io.

A three-minute test flight Tuesday morning over Cape Canaveral will help ensure NASA’s Orion crew capsule — the vehicle being built to carry astronauts back to the moon — can safely escape from a catastrophic failure on launch.

After four months of drama in space caused by a crippling failure of its main engine, a U.S. Navy’s mobile communications satellite has successfully rescued itself and achieved a usable orbit.