In the first launch of the year, SpaceX's Falcon 9 launcher carried the US government's secret "Zuma" satellite into space. The first stage of the launcher made, as usual, a successful landing after launch.
Update, 09.01.18, 13:15: The secret Zuma satellite was apparently lost and burned up in the atmosphere, according to several sources in the USA, see An extended report on the knowledge site about the malfunction
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched today, at 03:00 am (Israel time), the secret government satellite "Zuma". The launch was followed by the company's launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, Florida. This is SpaceX's first launch for 2018, and the first worldwide this year.
After detaching from the upper rocket stage, in a procedure that has become almost entirely routine, the first stage of the Falcon 9 landed back on a ground pad at Cape Canaveral. As is known, the company is re-landing the first stage of the launcher in order to reuse its central and most expensive part, thus reducing the costs of launching into space.
This is the third secret launch of SpaceX for the US government, since last year a routine The secret space plane X-37B of the American Air Force, and the satellite NROL-76 of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
As with those secret cargo launches, today SpaceX did not live-stream the combustion of the rocket engine of the upper stage, after detaching from the first stage, which aims to put the secret cargo into its planned orbit around the Earth. SpaceX has not yet announced whether putting the satellite into orbit in the final phase of the launch was successful.
Zuma - one of the most secret satellites launched in recent years
The satellite launched into space today is one of the US's most secretive in recent years, and even the government agency responsible for it is unknown. NRO spy satellite agency the denial Contact him.
In addition, the launch of the secret cargo was revealed only one month before its launch date, which was originally planned for November last year. His mission was revealed at the time only due to public documents that SpaceX submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Zuma's launch in November was ultimately postponed due to concerns about a malfunction in the Falcon 9's payload fairing (which protects the payload during launch), a problem the company said had been resolved. The launch was rescheduled for January 4th last week, and was postponed once again today, due to weather conditions.
The only thing that is known for sure about Zuma is that it was built by the defense and space systems manufacturer Northrop Grumman, for the US government. Northrop Grumman was also responsible for launching the payload for the secretive government agency, and it chose SpaceX to launch it. The launch agreement Signed Already in 2015, but no specific date was set for the launch of the mission. In April 2017, the secretive government agency notified Northrop Grumman of its intention to launch in November, and SpaceX quickly changed its flight schedule to accommodate the request.
It is also known that Zuma is launched into a low-earth orbit, defined as an orbit at an altitude of up to 2,000 km. by number Reports in the American media, its planned orbit is tilted by about 50 degrees relative to the Earth's equator, trajectory inclination Close to that of the International Space Station, as well as the previous secret satellite that SpaceX launched last year, NROL-76.
NROL-76, whose codename was changed to USA 276 after entering orbit, is also considered quite mysterious, after June 2017 Watched Approaching within a few kilometers of the International Space Station. Due to the similar estimated orbital characteristics of it and the secret Zuma satellite, there is that raised A possibility of a certain connection between the two satellites - but this is only speculation.
The next destination is the maiden flight of the world's most powerful launcher
Today's launch allows SpaceX to focus on its next major goal - the maiden flight of its new launcher, the Falcon Heavy, scheduled for the end of this month. according to CEO and founder of the company Elon Musk. This week, the company is expected to perform a static combustion test on the giant launcher, in which its 27 rocket engines will be tested while it is attached to the ground.
The heavy Falcon, consisting of a modified two-stage Falcon 9, to whose first stage are attached two additional first stages that serve as side boosters, will become the most powerful active launcher in the world, if launched successfully of course (Mask previously noted because there is a significant chance that the test flight will end in failure).
If the test flight is not postponed and passes successfully, the heavy Falcon will be launched into space with an unusual cargo - Musk's personal Tesla Roadster, which will be put into an elliptical orbit around the Sun, where it will reach the distance of Mars from the Sun (but not Mars itself).
Success in the first test flight of the world's most powerful launcher will be another important achievement for the company, which in just a few years has become one of the most successful in the space launch industry. Last year, for example, SpaceX Has performed 18 successful launches, more than any other private company in history. And this is only the first month of the year - Musk stated in the past that he intends to further increase the company's launch rate, to about 30 launches this year, and the company has several more important goals for the new year, such as Dispatch of humans in the Dragon 2 spacecraft she is developing.
See more on the subject on the science website:
- The space missions of 2018: from the world's most powerful launcher to the successor to the Kepler space telescope
- 2017: SpaceX's incredible year
- The heavy Falcon - the launcher that will be the most powerful in the world
- Musk's Tesla car is getting ready to launch near Mars
Watch: the full broadcast of the mission
One response
It should be noted that this year SpaceX will launch the next version of the Falcon 9 - Block 5. This version will be more efficient and will allow the launcher to be relaunched within 24 hours, something that should definitely be expected.