August 05, 2014 - 1:17 AM
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A communications satellite has been launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 4 a.m. Tuesday, lighting up the night sky.
The rocket carried the Asiasat-8 spacecraft which will support direct broadcasting, private networks and broadband connectivity for customers in China, India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The four beam satellite will join a constellation of other satellites in geostationary orbit serving various parts of the eastern hemisphere.
This is the 11th flight for the Falcon 9, the second in less than a month.
An abort was called due to technical issues seconds before a lift off at the beginning of the window around 1:30 a.m., followed by a scrub. After evaluating situation launch officials decided to make a second attempt.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014