SpaceX launches the mysterious Zuma mission for the United States government

The US space company SpaceX yesterday launched a top secret payload into space for the US government, known only by the code name Zuma. The cargo took off at 8 pm on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Northrop Grumman, a US aerospace and defense technology company, acknowledged that it organized the launch on behalf of the US government and said the cargo will be launched into low Earth orbit. However, very little is known about the nature of the Zuma mission, as no US government agency has claimed responsibility for it until now. SpaceX has already launched two classified payloads for the US government in the past year. Launched in May, the NROL-76 spy satellite was destined for the National Reconnaissance Office. The other was an X-37B spacecraft fired for the US Air Force, which took off in September. The company's launch webcast showed the first stage at Landing Zone 1 in Cape Canaveral just eight minutes after takeoff. Those activities are part of SpaceX's efforts to develop fully reusable rockets, which the company says could reduce spaceflight costs.