SpaceX hoped Sunday to boldly go where it has never gone before, making its first foray into the government reconnaissance industry with the scheduled launch of a U.S. spy satellite.
The launch of the National Reconnaissance Office satellite from Cape Canaveral in Florida was scheduled for 4 a.m. California time. If any difficulties developed, a secondary launch window for the NROL-76 mission was to open at 4 a.m. Monday California time, according to SpaceX.
The mission marks the first time SpaceX has been contracted to launch an NRO satellite into orbit. The U.S. Defense Department has traditionally relied on United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, for its spy satellite launches. SpaceX has done some government work in the past, primarily involving GPS satellites.
SpaceX officials have not released many details of the clandestine mission, but the company confirmed it will again attempt to recover the first- stage of the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the satellite into orbit. SpaceX will attempt to land the rocket’s first stage on a landing pad back at Cape Canaveral.
The company has successfully landed rockets at the cape three times previously, and six times on a drone ship at sea. Recovering the rockets is seen as a major cost-saving step for future space missions by eliminating the need for new, multimillion-dollar rockets for each launch.
