Status
Success
Zuma
Mon Jan 08, 2018 01:00 UTC
The classified Zuma satellite is believed to have failed to separate from the top of the Falcon 9's second stage after launch. Therefore, the billion dollar payload reentered the Earth's atmosphere shortly after launch. The failure has been linked with a Northrop Grumman built payload adapter, and thus the Falcon 9 performed properly and the launch is a success.
Rocket
Vehicles
Mission Details
Zuma
USA-280 (codenamed "Zuma") was a classified United States government satellite. The specific agency in charge of the Zuma project has not been disclosed, nor its purpose. Unnamed sources have stated that the satellite was lost during deployment and re-entered the atmosphere, and independent investigations concluded that the spacecraft likely failed to separate from its payload adaptor.