The first rocket from SpaceX specifically intended to benefit the national security of the United States took off on Monday from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The rocket, a Falcon 9 produced by SpaceX, carried a military navigation satellite valued at half a billion dollars into space. The satellite was manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation.
The launch took place at 8:51 A.M. on Monday. The Monday launch was the fifth scheduled launch of the rocket in a one week period. The previous launches were all scrapped due to issues either with the weather or with technical aspects of the satellite.
The launch represents a victory for SpaceX owner Elon Musk. Mr. Musk has dedicated years of his life to positioning his company to penetrate the space launch market. The market has been historically dominated by Boeing and Lockheed.
SpaceX filed a lawsuit against the United States Air Force in 2014 after the Air Force issued an exclusive contract to a joint partnership between Boeing and Lockheed known as United Launch Alliance. The suit against the Air Force was dropped a year later when the military organization agreed to open the contract to competition from other business entities.
SpaceX received a contract in 2016 from the Air Force to launch the GPS III satellite. The contract is worth $83 million and the lifespan of the contract is 15 years.
Lockheed is responsible for manufacturing each of the satellites.
The satellite launched on Monday is the first of 32 launchings to be held as part of current contracts. The Air Force explained the original launch schedule for the satellite was in 2014 but repeated production issues are responsible for a four-year delay.
The next launch of the GPS III satellite is scheduled for mid-year in 2019. Newer models are already in the works and being tested at Lockheed facilities in Colorado.
Dil Bole Oberoi
