SpaceX Launches First Rocket Since Mysterious Satellite Loss

• January 31 2018
• Dana Hull

Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a satellite to geostationary transfer orbit as customer missions continue while inquiries into its last mission press on.

Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a satellite to geostationary transfer orbit as customer missions continue while inquiries into its last mission press on.

The rocket carrying a satellite for the Luxembourg government and satellite operator SES SA took off Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The satellite -- called GovSat-1 -- deployed roughly 32 minutes after the launch.

The space industry likely watched the successful deployment closely, after the top-secret satellite launched in SpaceX’s last mission disappeared. Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell has denied the Falcon 9 was at fault for the mishap, saying the rocket “did everything correctly” in the Jan. 7 mission. The chief executive of SpaceX customer Iridium Communications Inc. pinned the blame on defense company Northrop Grumman Corp., which has declined to comment.

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The satellite launched Wednesday is a first for GovSat, a public-private partnership between Luxembourg and SES. It will enable secure communication links for government and security missions like maritime situations or humanitarian crises, according to a press kit. SpaceX said it won’t attempt to recover the first stage of the rocket, which previously flew on a mission in May 2017.

The company’s next launch is expected to be the maiden flight of its larger and more powerful Falcon Heavy. That rocket -- the most powerful operational rocket in the world -- could take off for the first time as soon as Feb. 6, CEO Musk said on Twitter.