Stunning images of the sun, Earth and far-away locales in our roundup of cosmic views from July 2012.
Window on Infinity: Pictures From Space
JEROME VALLETTE / AFP / Getty Images
An Ariane-5 rocket blasts off on July 5, 2012 from the European Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana. The rocket placed two telecommunications satellites, Echostar XVII and MSG-3, into geostationary orbit, roughly 22,000 mi. (36,000 km) above the Earth.
