Photos: Atlas 5 launches MUOS 5

The ever-dependable Delta 2 rocket continued its flawless service to NASA and Earth sciences Saturday with the launch of a $916 million environmental probe focused on producing global maps of soil moisture from space.

A new all-weather radar imaging satellite for China’s civilian-oriented fleet of Gaofen Earth observatories launched Wednesday aboard a Long March 4C rocket, according to Chinese state media.

An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off Saturday and flew to an altitude of more than 360 miles to deploy two Singaporean satellites, one for all-weather radar imaging surveillance and another for technology demonstrations.