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SpaceX Kicks Off New Year With Secret Launch

A Falcon 9 carrying "Zuma" during a launch attempt November 2017. Photo: SpaceX / Twitter
A Falcon 9 carrying "Zuma" during a launch attempt November 2017. Photo: SpaceX / Twitter

SpaceX is targeting its first launch of 2018 on Sunday, Jan. 7, but not much is known about what is actually heading into space.

The payload is code-named “Zuma” – a secret payload for an unspecified government agency.

The launch was a late addition to SpaceX’s manifest last year and an attempt to launch the payload was scrubbed back in November.

This new attempt on a Falcon 9 rocket will include a booster landing back at Cape Canaveral which could mean people in the area will hear a sonic boom. The launch window opens around 8:00 p.m. Sunday.

Once SpaceX launches Zuma, the space company will focus on launching its Falcon Heavy – a massive rocket made up of three Falcon 9 boosters with a total of 27 engines.

The demonstration launch of that will happen no earlier than mid-January. Since it’s a test flight, founder Elon Musk decided to launch an electric car on a trajectory to Mars.

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Brendan Byrne is Central Florida Public Media's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing the organization's internship program.

Byrne also hosts Central Florida Public Media's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.