Q&A with Joe Anderson of Space Logistics LLC (members only)

Orbital ATK’s Minotaur-C rocket will deliver 10 commercial Earth observations satellites into a 310-mile-high orbit for Planet during a 20-minute flight sequence.

Views from an airliner, close-up high-speed launch pad cameras, and photographers around the Guiana Space Center in the jungle of South America show the twilight launch of a European Ariane 5 rocket Saturday with three commercial satellites heading for orbits more than 22,000 miles over the equator.

Stratolaunch Systems, a company backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, will launch Pegasus XL rockets produced by Orbital ATK from the world’s largest airplane as officials shift focus toward deploying lighter satellites into orbit.