Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. capped a record-setting year Sunday when it launched a rocket carrying a new GPS III satellite for the U.S. Air Force, after delaying the mission several times because of a technical issue involving its rocket sensors and bad weather.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 8:51 a.m. local time carrying the Lockheed Martin-built satellite. SpaceX first won U.S. Air Force certification for national-security space missions in spring 2015, breaking the lock on sensitive satellite launches long held by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. The GPS III will go into medium Earth orbit roughly 1 hour and 56 minutes after liftoff, according to the SpaceX press kit.
This was SpaceX's 21st launch of the year, up from a record 18 in 2017. The company has been able to cut costs and win market share by designing its rockets for reusability. This time, however, SpaceX won't attempt to land Falcon 9's first stage after the launch, the company said in its press kit, citing mission requirements.