SpaceX launches satellite

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket took off at 5:06 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Monday to put a commercial communications spacecraft into orbit for Thai satellite operator Thaicom. The satellite, built by Orbital Sciences Corp., was deployed about a half-hour after the launch. Monday's launch was the second in just over a month for Space Exploration Technologies. (Sources: NBC News, USA Today, 01/06/14) Gulf Coast note: Orbital Sciences tests its AJ26 rocket engines at Stennis Space Center, Miss., where SpaceX plans to test its new generation Raptor engines. Previous