Live coverage: Atlas 5 blasts off with Navy satellite

A Vega rocket faltered minutes after liftoff from French Guiana at 9:53 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0153 GMT) and failed to reach orbit with a European-built reconnaissance satellite for the United Arab Emirates. The payload and launcher fell into the Atlantic Ocean, marking the first failure for the solid-fueled Vega launch vehicle.

Following delivery to the launch pad, the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket stands poised for the NROL-61 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral on Thursday morning.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket stands atop Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral in readiness for the NROL-52 deployment mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.