A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket takes off July 28 from Launch Complex 41 at KSC Credit: screen capture of ULA launch coverage

An Atlas 5 scheduled to launch later today may place ship-tracking satellites into orbit.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...