SpaceX launches sensitive mission for US military, Falcon 9 rocket nails landing
Elon Musk's SpaceX launched a sensitive mission for the US military and landed the Falcon 9's booster on land, marking the company's fifth successful mission of 2017
San Francisco: Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. launched a sensitive mission for the US military and landed the rocket’s booster on land, marking the company’s fifth successful mission of 2017.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying NROL-76, a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, rumbled aloft on Monday from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, a livestream of the mission on SpaceX’s website showed. The launch, originally planned for Sunday, was delayed 24 hours due to a sensor issue.
Roughly nine minutes after lifting off, the rocket’s first stage returned to Earth, a feat that SpaceX first accomplished in December 2015. Landing, refurbishing and reusing rockets is key to the company’s vision of making space travel increasingly affordable.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket won US Air Force certification for national security space missions in May 2015, breaking a lock long-held by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. Contracts for military launches include satellites that let troops communicate on battlefields and are estimated to be valued at about $70 billion through 2030. Bloomberg
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!