Atlas 5 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral

An unmanned rocket has taken off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as part of a mission to boost Nasa's communications network.

The Atlas 5 blazed through the sky with a four tonne satellite perched on its nose, which will eventually join eight other satellites currently in orbit.

The technology will be used to communicate with Nasa's fleet of Earth-observing satellites and telescopes, such as the Hubble observatory.