European probe blasts off on gravitational wave demonstration

A solid-fueled Vega launcher fired through a low cloud deck and sped into orbit from the South American jungle early Thursday with a pioneering European spacecraft that marks a key step in a century-long quest to detect elusive gravitational waves predicted to permeate the cosmos. Fastened on top of the 98-foot-tall (30-meter) Vega launcher was LISA Pathfinder, an experimental spacecraft that took 10 years to build and cost more than $630 million, a price divided between the European Space Agency, European governments and NASA. More

(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 4)