A military satellite launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX appears to have crashed into the sea following a malfunction in the latter stages of its ascent, representing a potential setback for the billionaire's rocket program.

The mission — referred to by the code name Zuma — took off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Sunday on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But the U.S. Strategic Command, which monitors more than 23,000 man-made objects in space, said it is not tracking any new satellites following the launch.

"We have nothing to add to the satellite catalog at this time," Navy Capt. Brook DeWalt, a spokesman for the command, said in an email when asked if the new satellite was in orbit.