By Katherine Hignett, Newsweek
Elon Musk’s SpaceX finally launched its mysterious Zuma satellite on Sunday from Cape Canaveral, Florida. To viewers of the live stream, the launch seemed like a success. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying Zuma blasted off and appeared to shed “stage one,” as planned.
However, cameras did not follow stage two of the rocket, and reports suggest Zuma may not have reached its final orbit.
Industry and government officials believe the craft failed to reach its goal, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Zuma may not have separated from the upper part of the Falcon 9 rocket and instead plunged back into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Originally planned to launch back in November, Zuma had a secret payload for the U.S. government. Aerospace and defense company Northrup Grumman—which worked on the mission with SpaceX on behalf of the government—told Space.com its function was “restricted” and was being fired into “low-Earth orbit.”
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