Two launches last night, by Italy’s Avio and China

There were two launches since last night. First the Italian rocket company Avio placed two European satellites into orbit, its Vega-C rocket lifting off from French Guiana in South America. This was Avio’s second launch in 2026, and the second since it regained control over its rocket from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) commercial division, Arianespace. The two satellites were