Live coverage: Proton blasts off on return-to-flight mission

A collection of pad photos from the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight to deploy the Global Positioning System 2F-11 navigation satellite.

A collection of pad photos from the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket flight to deploy the GPS 2F-12 satellite for use by the U.S. military and billions of civilians around the world.

A European Ariane 5 rocket fired into a gloomy sky Thursday over French Guiana and streaked into space from the tropical launch base with 2.9 million pounds of thrust from two solid rocket boosters and a hydrogen-fueled Vulcain 2 main engine.