flown bySpaceXUSA

Zuma

Failure
JAN 08201801:00:00 UTC

A classified U.S. government spacecraft. A post-flight preliminary report concluded that the payload adapter, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, failed to separate the satellite from the second stage, causing it to re-enter the atmosphere shortly after launch. SpaceX and the U.S. Air Force reviewed the Falcon 9 flight data and found no issues with the launch vehicle; the classified nature of the mission means that little else has been officially confirmed. The mission had been postponed by nearly two months.

launched fromSLC-40Canaveral

aboardFalcon 9 B4F9-047intoLEO

Booster

B1043.1

Landed on ground pad · LZ-1

Payload

Zuma

Classified

last updatedMar 29, 2026