Live coverage: SpaceX launches first Falcon 9 mission of the year

These photos show a 194-foot-tall United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket standing on pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in advance of a planned launch with the U.S. Space Force’s fifth SBIRS missile warning satellite.

European Space Agency member states on Thursday committed nearly 12.5 billion euros ($13.8 billion) to fund ESA programs over the next three years, promising money to grow Europe’s fleet of satellites studying Earth’s changing climate, contribute to NASA-led lunar exploration efforts, and continue ESA’s participation in the International Space Station until 2030.

This is the sixth consecutive year of increasing orbital launches from the Sunshine State. Liftoff of the Starlink 6-87 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is scheduled for 10:21 p.m. EST (0321 UTC).