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New satellite joins Europe’s growing Earth observing network
A new satellite to monitor crops, pollution and the growth of cities blasted off Monday from a tropical spaceport in French Guiana, adding another piece to Europe's multibillion-dollar fleet of spacecraft tasked to track Earth's ever-changing environment.

Live coverage: Vega rocket deploys second Sentinel satellite
Europe's Sentinel 2A land imaging satellite designed to glimpse cities, farms and forests from orbit launched aboard a Vega rocket. The 2,500-pound satellite lifted off at 0151:58 GMT Tuesday (9:51:58 p.m. EDT Monday).

‘Europe’s Landsat’ in the starting blocks
The first in a planned multi-decade series of European land imaging satellites is fastened on top of a solid-fueled Vega launcher at a French Guiana space base for liftoff Monday, kicking off a mission to track everything from global crop growth to urban sprawl.

France to privatize its Arianespace shares
The French government has signaled its intention to sell its stake in Arianespace, a major step in consolidating the European launcher industry under the control of a joint venture formed by Airbus and rocket engine manufacturer Safran.
VideoDirecTV satellites blast off on Ariane 5 rocket
An Ariane 5 rocket fired into space from a tropical spaceport in French Guiana on Wednesday, successfully delivering two television broadcast satellites into high-altitude orbits for DirecTV and Sky Mexico.

Live coverage: Ariane 5 launches for DirecTV
Two direct-to-home broadcasting satellites have launched from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. Liftoff with DirecTV 15 and Sky Mexico 1 occurred at 2116 GMT (5:16 p.m. EDT) Wednesday.

Ariane 5 ready to pull double duty for DirecTV
Two satellites equipped to broadcast television programming to millions of homes across the United States and Latin America are braced for launch from French Guiana on Wednesday aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.

Photos: Ariane 5 rolled out to jungle launch pad
Technicians transferred an Ariane 5 rocket loaded with two DirecTV broadcasting satellites to a launch pad in French Guiana on Tuesday, one day before the European launcher is set for liftoff.

Arabsat contracts go to Lockheed Martin, Arianespace and SpaceX
Lockheed Martin will build two communications satellites for Saudi Arabia's Arabsat, and Arianespace and SpaceX will launch the commercial relay platforms under contracts valued at $650 million announced Wednesday.
VideoPhotos: Telecom satellites blast off from the jungle
Look back on Sunday's launch of an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's jungle spaceport in French Guiana with two communications satellites for a commercial Norwegian telecom operator and Franco-Italian military authorities.