Science

Secretive SpaceX mission slips, may delay Falcon Heavy debut

The company's most mysterious launch yet has been delayed for nearly two months and just got pushed back again.

Eric Mack Contributing Editor

Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.

Expertise Solar, solar storage, space, science, climate change, deregulated energy, DIY solar panels, DIY off-grid life projects. CNET's "Living off the Grid" series. https://www.cnet.com/feature/home/energy-and-utilities/living-off-the-grid/ Credentials

Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

See full bio

Eric Mack

Jan. 4, 2018 4:55 p.m. PT

SpaceX is now hoping to launch "Zuma" into orbit via one of the company's Falcon 9 rockets on Sunday after nearly two months of delays. What exactly Zuma is, though, is still a big secret.

Northrop Grumman confirmed to me in November that it had contracted with Elon Musk's commercial space venture to do the launch on behalf of a US government agency, which it didn't name. It provided no other details about the payload.

After an original mid-November target, SpaceX set Friday evening as its targeted launch date for Zuma from Florida. But weather conditions have pushed the launch back by two days, SpaceX said Thursday evening.

Team at the Cape completed additional propellant loading tests today. Extreme weather slowed operations but Falcon 9 and the Zuma spacecraft are healthy and go for launch—now targeting January 7 from Pad 40 in Florida.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 5, 2018

SpaceX has conducted classified missions before, including the launch of a US spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office and the Air Force's secretive "space plane." But it's a little unusual to not reveal which arm of the federal government is involved in the mission.

On Zuma's initial planned launch date last year, SpaceX tweeted that it was delaying the launch to take a closer look at some technical issues.

Standing down on Zuma mission to take a closer look at data from recent fairing testing for another customer.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 16, 2017

Space industry site NASA Spaceflight reports that Zuma delays may also push back the anticipated debut of SpaceX's triple rocket rig, dubbed Falcon Heavy.

First published Jan. 4, 10:52 a.m. PT.
Update, 4:45 p.m. PT: Adds new launch date from SpaceX.

Crowd Control: A crowdsourced science fiction novel written by CNET readers.

Solving for XX: The tech industry seeks to overcome outdated ideas about "women in tech."