The X in SpaceX

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket broke up just minutes after its launch with a robotic Drago cargo capsule for the International Space Station, NASA said.

The Falcon took off right on time, rising into the sunny skies over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florda at 10:21 a.m. ET. But shortly afterward, NASA spokesman George Diller reported that the launch vehicle was lost.
The mission's primary objective was to deliver the Dragon to the space station with more than two and a half tons of supplies, equipment and experiments — ranging from a new docking adapter for accommodating future U.S.-built spaceships to a virtual-reality headset for the station's crew.

This was to have been the first robotic cargo delivery since a Russian Progress capsule went awry in April, resulting in the loss of the craft's 3-ton payload. The Dragon's payload includes food, oxygen and other much-needed basics — and its loss will put even more pressure on the crew and mission planners.

The Dragon previously made six successful cargo runs under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with NASA, plus an initial demonstration mission in 2012. Sunday's loss marked SpaceX's first failed mission to the space station.

Sunday was Musk's 44th birthday. The SpaceX founder also runs his electric car company, Tesla.
"Yeah, not the best birthday," Musk tweeted.

Data stopped flowing from the Falcon 9 rocket around 2 minutes and 19 seconds, he said.
SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk later said that the pressure got too high in the liquid-oxygen tank of the rocket's upper stage.
"That's all we can say with confidence right now," Musk said via Twitter.
The private company is in charge of the accident investigation, with oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration, which licensed the flight.
The Dragon capsule, which is designed to eventually carry people, still sent signals to the ground after the rocket broke apart, said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. Had astronauts been on board, a still-being tested abort system, would have whisked them away to safety in such a mishap, she said.
SpaceX hopes to launch astronauts from U.S. soil again aboard the Falcon-Dragon combination in December 2017. They still can make that target, Shotwell said. Now NASA buys seats from Russia to get astronauts to the orbiting lab.
Shotwell assured reporters that the California-based company will fix the problem - "and get back to flight."

By the time we are ready to settle even in the nearest other planetary systems, we will have changed.

A secret spacecraft launched by a SpaceX rocket on Sunday failed to enter a stable orbit and was lost.
The spacecraft, called Zuma, launched at 8 p.m. Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
But the spacecraft apparently did not separate as it was supposed to from the upper stage of the rocket and did not reach a stable orbit, according to a U.S. administration official and two sources who were briefed on the matter. The sources would not confirm what exactly the payload was, saying it was classified.
The mission itself was shrouded in secrecy even before it failed to enter a stable orbit. The government agency that ordered the spacecraft has not been disclosed.
Northrop Grumman (NOC), the aerospace and defense company that built the Zuma spacecraft, would only say: "This is a classified program. We cannot comment on classified programs." SpaceX has also declined to give details about the spacecraft.
In a statement, the Department of Defense said, "As a matter of policy we do not comment on classified missions."
It was not immediately clear if the failure of this mission was due to problems with the SpaceX rocket, or with the Zuma spacecraft. SpaceX issued a statement Tuesday suggesting that its rocket performed as designed.
"After review of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night," said the statement from Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX. "If we or others find otherwise based on further review, we will report it immediately. Information published that is contrary to this statement is categorically false. Due to the classified nature of the payload, no further comment is possible."

Your guide to commercial space travel in 2018

It's is a good time to start tuning into the business of space. The months ahead could bring some monumental developments in the booming commercial space industry.
Here's a look at what's on the calendar this year. Note that this industry is notoriously loose with deadlines, so it's possible that a few endeavors planned for 2018 will be pushed back.
SpaceX will launch astronauts with Crew Dragon
For the first time ever, SpaceX is planning to conduct a mission to space with humans on board.
Elon Musk's company has made nearly a dozen unmanned trips to the International Space Station. Those missions deliver supplies and scientific experiments to the crew on board.
Its new spacecraft, called Crew Dragon, will be able to carry astronauts as well. The company has already cinched a contract with NASA to do so.
That's a huge deal. Ever since NASA's Space Shuttle missions ended in 2011, American astronauts have had to rely on Russian spacecrafts to get to and from the space station.
NASA's keen on changing that. The agency has paid Russia about $81 million per seat for those trips. The deal with Crew Dragon would cost NASA about $58 million per seat, according to a NASA estimate.
When: A test launch is scheduled for April, and the first manned mission is slated for August.