As we had reported earlier, Elon Musk-led SpaceX is all set to send off their mysterious spacecraft named Zuma aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. However, is latest reports are to be believed, the launch has been delayed and the rocket won't take off until January 7.
The liftoff was earlier supposed to happen on January 5 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station located in Florida.
Now, the launch window has been scheduled on Sunday at 8 p.m. EST (0100 GMT). On January 4 the company had announced the new flight target of the Zuma mission.
"Team at the Cape completed additional propellant loading tests today. Extreme weather slowed operations but Falcon 9 and the Zuma spacecraft are healthy and go for launch—now targeting January 7 from Pad 40 in Florida," twitted the space company.
This is not the first time that the launch of mysterious Zuma spacecraft has been postponed. Once before in November 2017, the liftoff was delayed. SpaceX had to delay the launch at that time because the company was reviewing results that came following the payload-fairing tests, which were conducted on a different Falcon 9 rocket. Payload fairing is essentially the shielding nose-cone that sits on the top of a rocket and covers the payload during the takeoff.
SpaceX has not yet revealed exactly what payload the Zuma spacecraft will be carrying to space. We only know that the mission is being conducted for the US government as a part of a deal that was set by Northrop Grumman, a defense and aerospace company.
Earlier a bizarre claim was made on a website, someonesbones.com, regarding this Zuma mission. The conspiracy theorists stated on the website that Elon Musk is one of the members of an elite team that believes in the existence of Nibiru and SpaceX is sending this spacecraft to investigate more about the rogue planet that is lurking at the edge of our solar system and will destroy earth.
"Musk has collaborated with NASA and the government in gathering intelligence on a brown dwarf star with seven companion planets that intersect the inner solar system every 3,600 years, give or take," read a post from the website. "This launch will carry a deep space thermal imaging satellite into orbit. Elon has met with high ranking military and civilian officials several times during the last two months. There's a reason the government is enlisting public help—for money and secrecy. Do you know why Obama killed the shuttle program? Because too many questions were being asked about what exactly those orbiters were doing up there," it added.
According to Space.com, it has been confirmed by some of the representatives from the Northrop Grumman that the mystifying Zuma spacecraft will indeed be launched into a lower orbit of earth and not into a geosynchronous and higher orbit.
Also Read: Did you know Elon Musk is a Martian? Read his Christmas letter to know more about it
This much-anticipated launch is going to be third secret launch by the company for the U.S. government. Earlier SpaceX had sent off a classified spy satellite in May 2017 for the National Reconnaissance Office. Later that year in September Elon Musk's company had also launched the robotic X-37B space plane of the U.S. Air Force as part of another classified mission.
