Active Stocks
Tue Mar 19 2024 10:41:02
  1. Tata Consultancy Services share price
  2. 4,018.30 -3.05%
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 148.80 -0.53%
  1. NTPC share price
  2. 312.50 -1.47%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,443.50 -0.19%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 414.05 -0.80%
Business News/ Science / News/  SpaceX launches sensitive mission for US military, Falcon 9 rocket nails landing
BackBack

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

A Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket carrying a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, on 1 May 2017. Photo: John Raoux/APPremium
A Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket carrying a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, on 1 May 2017. Photo: John Raoux/AP

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!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 01 May 2017, 05:51 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App