Videos: SpaceX Falcon 9 and Arianespace Ariane V rockets launch within short time

Two big rockets launched successfully this morning, lifting off within about 15 minutes of each other:

** A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 10 Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg AFB in California despite fog so heavy the rocket was not visible in ground cameras: Iridium Completes Seventh Successful Iridium® NEXT Launch | Iridium Communications Inc.

The first stage booster landed on a platform floating on the Pacific Ocean despite high winds and rough seas.

A view of the booster on the droneship.

Here are highlights of the satellite deployments:

More about the launch at SpaceX launches seventh Iridium mission and recovers booster – NASASpaceFlight.com.

** Arianespace Ariane V rocket launched from French Guiana with four Galileo navigation satellites, which are to be deployed a few hours after the upper stage reached orbit: : Ariane 5 lifts off from French Guiana with four Galileo spacecraft – Arianespace

More about the mission at Ariane 5 rocket, Galileo satellites on launch pad in French Guiana – Spaceflight Now.

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