Snapshots from Atlas 5 launch

A photo gallery shows Thursday night’s successful Atlas 5 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral.

The International Space Station crew releases the Cygnus OA-7 commercial cargo ship from the Canadian robotic arm to begin free-flight away from the lab complex, completing 43-day visit that delivered supplies, food and science gear.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and two Russian cosmonauts will ride a Soyuz ferry ship to the International Space Station early Friday, the first step in a record crew rotation requiring two launches and two landings with four different spacecraft in just three weeks.