WASHINGTON – SpaceX on Sunday blasted off a secretive US government payloadknown as Zuma, a mission whose nature — and the agency behind it –remains a mystery.
“Three, two, one, ignition and liftoff,” said a SpaceX commentator as theFalcon 9 rocket launched under cover of darkness from Cape Canaveral,Florida, at 8:00 pm.
The launch was initially supposed to take place in November but waspostponed so the California-based company could take a closer look atpotential problems with the fairing, or the nose cone part of the rocketthat protects the payload.
Just what exactly needed such special protection and secrecy is stillunknown.
Northrup Grumman, the maker of the payload, said it was for the USgovernment and would be delivered to low-Earth orbit, but offered no otherdetails.
SpaceX and the Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment about thenature of the mission.
SpaceX has launched national security payloads in the past, including a spysatellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, and an X-37B space planefor the US Air Force.
The company s live webcast did not show video coverage of the Zumaspacecraft after it separated from the first stage of the rocket, butconfirmed that the fairings deployed and the payload was well on its way tolow-Earth orbit.
After launch, SpaceX returned the tall portion of the Falcon 9 rocket to anupright landing at Cape Canaveral.
Cheers erupted at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California as therocket glided seamlessly down to ground.
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk s goal is to perfect the technique so thatrockets can one day become just as reusable as airplanes, thereby loweringthe cost of space travel. AFP