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

The first Ariane 5 launch since a mission flew off course Jan. 25, deploying two communications satellites into an off-target orbit, is underway. Liftoff with the DSN 1/Superbird 8 and Hylas 4 communications satellites occurred on time at 2134 GMT (5:34 p.m. EDT).

Ground crews in French Guiana on Monday transferred an Ariane 5 rocket to its launch pad, moving the vehicle into position for liftoff Wednesday with four European Galileo navigation satellites on the Ariane 5’s last flight with an older-generation, out-of-production upper stage.

An Ariane 5 rocket lifted off at 2143 GMT (5:43 p.m. EDT) Thursday from French Guiana with a pair of commercial TV broadcasting satellites for AT&T and Eutelsat.