Q&A with Guglielmo Aglietti, RemoveDebris principal investigator (members only)

A Soyuz rocket lifted off from South America late Thursday to haul up the next two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system, giving the network its ninth and 10th operational members. Launch occurred at 0208:10 GMT Friday (10:08:10 p.m. EDT Thursday).

With plans to put 11 new-generation communications satellite on SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 rocket launch, Orbcomm has moved first in line on the launch company’s manifest after a failure in June. Orbcomm’s CEO, Marc Eisenberg, spoke with Spaceflight Now’s Stephen Clark after announcing his firm’s launch plans.

On its next mission set for liftoff later this month, Rocket Lab will try to recover the first stage of its Electron small satellite launcher after parachuting into the Pacific Ocean downrange from the company’s privately-run spaceport in New Zealand, officials announced Thursday.