SpaceX launches secret Zuma mission
SpaceX successfully launched a secretive US government payload called Zuma on a Falcon 9 rocket on 7 January.
The rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8pm EST.
The launch was initially supposed to take place in November 2017 but was postponed so the California-based company could take a closer look at potential problems with the fairing - the nose cone part of the rocket that protects the payload.
Northrup Grumman, the payload manufacturer, said the launch was for the US government and would be delivered at a 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 USAF.
The company’s live webcast did not show video coverage of the Zuma spacecraft after it separated from the first stage of the rocket, but confirmed that the fairings deployed and the payload was well on its way to low-Earth orbit.
After launch, SpaceX returned the tall portion of the Falcon 9 rocket to an upright landing at Cape Canaveral.
According to Elon Musk, chief executive at SpaceX, the goal is to perfect the technique so that rockets can one day become just as reusable as airplanes, thereby lowering the cost of space travel.
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Artificial intelligence: the hope, the hype and the real-world reality]()
Artificial intelligence: the hope, the hype and the real-world reality
Artificial intelligence has supported C2 systems and decision-making for more than two decades. It has gradually built up a head of steam in the 2020s, but what is it achieving today and what role could it play in the future?
-
![SOF Week 2026: How SOF Teams Are Powering Radios, Drones and Battlefield Networks (video)]()
SOF Week 2026: How SOF Teams Are Powering Radios, Drones and Battlefield Networks (video)
At SOF Week 2026, Sean O’Neill, Senior Business Development Manager with Iris Technology, discusses the growing importance of tactical power management systems for modern military operations.
-
![SOF Week 2026: How SOF Operators Are Driving the Future of Battlefield Communications (video)]()
SOF Week 2026: How SOF Operators Are Driving the Future of Battlefield Communications (video)
At SOF Week 2026, Austin Farnham, President of Octane Wireless, discusses how direct feedback from special operations forces is helping shape the next generation of battlefield communications technology.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: Northrop Grumman to present improved C2 management system]()
World Defense Show 2026: Northrop Grumman to present improved C2 management system
The Northrop Grumman Integrated Battle Command System is in service with Poland and the US Army with another 20 countries believed to have expressed an interest.
-
![Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials]()
Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials
The Thales DigitalCrew package, first unveiled at last year’s Defence IQ International Armoured Vehicles conference, is designed to merge imaging and apply a layer of decision-making and observation algorithms to support crew and other personnel.
-
![Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool]()
Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool
Nomad can provide militaries with real-time intelligence, saving critical time on the battlefield.
