Unmanned rocket launched by US military

An unmanned Delta 4 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying a communications satellite for the US military and its partners, including Australia, which paid for the spacecraft and launch services.

The Delta rocket, topped with the sixth Wideband Global Satcom, or WGS, spacecraft lifted off at 0029 (GMT) and soared out over the Atlantic Ocean, illuminated by the setting sun, as it headed into space.

The WGS network is used to relay television broadcasts, video conferences, images and other high-bandwidth data to and from ships, aircraft, ground forces, operations centers, the US Department of State, the White House and select partners worldwide.

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