US DoD mum on fate of secret satellite
The mystery surrounding the fate of a secret military satellite deepened on 11 January when the US Department of Defense (DoD) refused to answer questions about whether the mission to launch it had gone awry.
On 7 January, SpaceX blasted a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida carrying the secret government satellite, called Zuma.
According to media reports, the billion-dollar payload did not make it into orbit and was presumed to have been lost.
On 9 January, SpaceX said that the rocket worked fine, but its statement left open the possibility that something could have gone wrong after the launch.
Dana White, spokeswoman for the US DoD, said: ‘I would have to refer you to SpaceX, who conducted the launch.’
Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, Director of the Joint Staff, said: ‘I am done. We are not going to be able to give you any more information.’
According to Northrup Grumman, the payload was for the US government and would be delivered to low-Earth orbit.
SpaceX has launched national security payloads in the past including a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office and an X-37B space plane for the US Air Force.
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Clavister contracted to supply cyber protection for CV90s]()
Clavister contracted to supply cyber protection for CV90s
Clavister CyberArmour, an integrated defence cybersecurity system, will be used on BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 platform in deployments with a Scandinavian country, as well as in an eastern European nation.
-
![Lockheed Martin completes tactical satellite demonstration and prepares for launch]()
Lockheed Martin completes tactical satellite demonstration and prepares for launch
The tactical satellite (TacSat) is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system and will participate in exercises in 2025.
-
![AUSA 2024: General Micro Systems adds four new products to the X9 Spider family]()
AUSA 2024: General Micro Systems adds four new products to the X9 Spider family
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.
-
![BAE Systems gets go-ahead for second phase of mission communications programme]()
BAE Systems gets go-ahead for second phase of mission communications programme
DARPA’s Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC) programme was set up to develop an autonomous tactical network and enable critical data flow in contested environments.
-
![Just Released: Space Technology Report]()
Just Released: Space Technology Report
Why space is an essential part of modern military capabilities
-
![Work-from-home warfare: the power of mixed reality]()
Work-from-home warfare: the power of mixed reality
Defence-secure mixed reality headsets can save hours, or even weeks, of travel time to fix defunct equipment or get subject experts effectively “on-site” where they are needed.
