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This is speculation based on rumour. We don’t even know if Zuma was something other than a block of concrete. Wait until Northrop Grumman or their secret custo
by manicdee 9y ago
This is speculation based on rumour. We don’t even know if Zuma was something other than a block of concrete.
Wait until Northrop Grumman or their secret customer releases an official report. Otherwise the facts are that Falcon 9 delivered a secret payload to orbit, landed the first stage, and SpaceX is now preparing for three more launches this month.
Can HN please stick to facts and leave rumour-mongering to other groups?
- valuearb 9y agoThere won't be an official report. No one knows who paid for building it, other than it was a US government agency. The NRO has no problems acknowledging it's launches, but it doesn't claim Zuma. Those are the facts we know. the CNBC report is based on their sources, making it a bit more than rumor-mongering.
- manicdee 9y agoHere’s how we go from “sourced facts” to “rumour mongering” in one step: Hypothetical Facts: upon fairing separation the super secret payload was able to establish communication with in-orbit trusted stations, and no longer needed to communicate through the fairing or other non-trusted stations. So it turned off its radios and other EMI producing communications systems. Secret satellite operation base was able to establish control of satellite through secure optical in-orbit communications. Payload adaptor successfully deploys the satellite and neither SpaceX nor Northrop Grumman has any further involvement with the satellite. Source: SpaceX lost communication with the payload immediately after fairing separation. CNBC: SpaceX destroyed the super secret spy satellite