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Photos: ESA re-entry testbed prepared for liftoff
Engineers have put the finishing touches on a prototype spaceship representing a leap in European space technology, aiming for liftoff Feb. 11 for a flight 260 miles into space and back to Earth for a pinpoint splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Europe’s re-entry demonstrator mated to Vega rocket
Launch crews in French Guiana have mounted an innovative European space plane on top of a solid-fueled Vega launcher for a Feb. 11 suborbital test flight.
Launch campaign resumes for ESA space plane
Engineers are resuming preparations to launch an experimental European re-entry test vehicle on a Vega rocket Feb. 11 after a two-month delay ordered by safety authorities to analyze risks posed to the public by the booster's unique trajectory after liftoff from French Guiana.
2014’s launch tally highest in two decades
There were more successful space launches in 2014 than in any year since 1992, with Russia, the United States and China responsible for more than 80 percent of global launch activity.
VideoPhotos: Soyuz soars skyward from French Guiana
Flying for the 10th time from a tropical launch facility along the South American coastline, a Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off Dec. 18 and streaked through partly sunny skies with four satellites to extend the reach of the O3b Networks, a company founded to bring broadband to the world's most remote and impoverished countries.
Third quartet of satellites launched for O3b Networks
A Soyuz rocket lifted off from French Guiana on Thursday, launching four satellites owned by O3b Networks nearly 5,000 miles above Earth to expand access to high-speed Internet in the developing world.
Live coverage: Soyuz blasts off on third mission for O3b
Four satellites tucked inside the tip of a Soyuz rocket lifted off Thursday, heading for a 5,000-mile-high orbit to expand the reach of O3b's broadband communications network. Liftoff from the European-run spaceport in French Guiana occurred at 1:37 p.m. EST (1837 GMT).
Photos: O3b satellites prepared for Soyuz launch
Four satellites designed to broadcast high-speed Internet signals to the developing world are mounted on top of a Russian-made Soyuz rocket for liftoff Thursday from the Guiana Space Center in South America. See photos of the quartet of satellites undergoing launch preparations.
Photos: Soyuz booster rolls out to French Guiana launch pad
Russian rocket technicians working in the French Guiana jungle transported a three-stage Soyuz booster to its launch pad Monday and erected it upright for liftoff Thursday with four communications satellites for O3b Networks.
VideoAriane 5 sends up satellites for DirecTV, India
Two communications satellites rode an Ariane 5 rocket into space Saturday -- one to beam down ultra-sharp television programming into millions of American homes and another craft to give Indian citizens expanded access to information technology.