SPACEX LAUNCHES SPY SATELLITE FOR US GOVERNMENT

Miami: SpaceX on Monday blasted off a
secretive US government payload, known only
as NROL-76, marking the first military launch
for the California-based aerospace company
headed by billionaire tycoon Elon Musk.
The payload for the National Reconnaissance
Office, which makes and operates spy satellites
for the United States, soared into the sky atop a
Falcon 9 rocket at 7:15 am (1115 GMT).

NDTV reported that the The launch was initially planned for Sunday, but
was postponed in the last seconds before liftoff
due to a sensor issue with the rocket, SpaceX
said.

The sensor in question was replaced ahead of
Monday's attempt.
Little was known about the payload due to its
classified nature.
"As a matter of policy and because of
classification, NRO does not provide information
about our contracts," a spokeswoman told AFP.
Until now, the US military has spent billions per
year exclusively with United Launch Alliance, a
joint operation of aerospace giants Boeing and
Lockheed Martin, to launch government
satellites.
SpaceX in 2014 protested the US Air Force's
practice of using only ULA, saying it unfairly
awarded billions of dollars to a single company
for national security launches.
SpaceX to was selected to launch NROL-76
"after a competition," said the NRO
spokeswoman.
She said she did not know when the contract
was awarded. The contract was first announced
last year.
SpaceX regularly launches unmanned cargo
ships to the International Space Station, and is
working on a crew capsule that could carry
humans into orbit as early as next year.