Falcon 9

Live coverage: SpaceX launches Israeli satellite from California

SpaceX’s final launch of the year has blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with a Falcon 9 rocket boosting a $186 million Earth-imaging satellite into orbit for the Israeli company ImageSat International. Liftoff occurred at 11:38 p.m. PST Thursday (2:38 a.m. EST; 0738 GMT Friday), and the Falcon 9 booster returned to Vandenberg for landing less than 10 minutes later.