Zuma Satellite Reportedly Destroyed Following Sunday’s Launch By SpaceX

A satellite launched Sunday by SpaceX as part of a classified government mission reportedly failed to reach orbit and was destroyed, according the Wall Street Journal and Reuters.

The satellite, named Zuma, was built by Northrop Grumman Corp. and reportedly cost billions. Officials told Reuters that the satellite is a total loss, likely to have broken apart or crashed into the sea. SpaceX, however, says its own equipment didn’t fail.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwellafter issued a statement Tuesday saying “after review of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night. 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. Since the data reviewed so far indicates that no design, operational or other changes are needed, we do not anticipate any impact on the upcoming launch schedule.”

Northrop Grumman has declined to comment on the launch. So, details of the mission remain murky and likely won’t be cleared up until the mission is declassified.

Zuma was SpaceX’s first mission of 2018. You can watch SpaceX’s webcast of the mission here.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Since there is NO evidence whatsoever that such an accusation is true, then your personal bias is showing. The evidence that does exist shows that SpaceX performed their duties correctly.

Isn't it showing for us all, though?

Lacking data, we tend to gravitate towards whatever fits out view of the world. No? I mean, absolving SpaceX without evidence is no better than blaming SpaceX without evidence, because the former means we'd be blaming the satellite manufacturer without evidence...

In typical Elon Musk-run company fashion, it absolves itself of fault and pushes it on someone else.

What do you make of Tesla's statement on Model 3's headliner?

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/2506434/

 

[mongo]

Isn't it showing for us all, though?

Lacking data, we tend to gravitate towards whatever fits out view of the world. No? I mean, absolving SpaceX without evidence is no better than blaming SpaceX without evidence, because the former means we'd be blaming the satellite manufacturer without evidence...



What do you make of Tesla's statement on Model 3's headliner?

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/posts/2506434/

You bias is showing

There are no facts in evidence that create a situation that requires or allows for absolving SpaceX of anything.

If there was a problem with the launch/ rocket/ release then there is something to concider.

We have nothing other than rumor to support that there even was a problem.
We don't even have proof that there was a satellite in the fairing.

Yes, I, in my world view, have seen nothing to cause me to think there was a problem.

Edit:
Where is the outrage regarding the problems with the Iridium Next satellites that I heard about in my fevered sleep?

 

[AnxietyRanger]

You bias is showing

Of course. It is showing for us all, because we fill what isn't there with our own experiences and thoughs and feelings - aka our bias. I agree with you we don't know anything for sure.

Some fill that unknown with absolving SpaceX and blaming the satellite manufacturer. Some fill that with blaming SpaceX and absolving the satellite manufacturer. Some do something else.

 

[Electroman]

Is NG - the only party who knows everything - blaming SpaceX? No they are not

Which means:

- There is zero evidence now to point finger at SpaceX
- There is alteast one evidence that absolves SpaceX: Gwen's statements.

 

[bxr140]

I have no reason to even know that a launch had a customer doing things that the launch company did not control.

Just for a little horse beating, there is no evidence that suggests this statement applies to the separation event.

There are hypotheticals that go no further than ‘plausibe’

 

[N5329K]

Russians are world-leading conspiracy fans, and it's understandable. So many terrible things have happened to them they just assume someone, somewhere, is acting behind the scenes to screw up their country. It couldn't just be bad luck. Or incompetence. Or a screwdriver left in a payload bay.
We're closing in on second place, I think.
Robin

 

[bxr140]

Russians are world-leading conspiracy fans, and it's understandable.

Indeed. Like Vladimir Ilyushin vs Yuri Garagin.

 

[mongo]

Some do something else.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

 

[AnxietyRanger]

A civil exchange and some nice humor, too. Thanks, guys.

 

[Doug_G]

I still stand by my prediction that SpaceX was at fault. But if I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and I'll admit it. Whatever that is worth on the internet.

I more have a problem with the ever familiar "deny deny deny/deflect" attitude Elon's companies exhibit on a regular basis. We saw it with the Broder incident (hit piece clueless reporter!), Autopilot accidents (driver error!), the Mobile eye fallout (they move too slow!), Model 3 production issues (all the supplier's fault!)....and now SpaceX. It's like Elon is convinced the whole world is out to get him. Quite a way to live.

Never mind “Elon’s companies“. Do you have verifiable evidence of SpaceX ever lying in the past?

 

[Nikxice]

Some positive news in the defense of SpaceX. A highly regarded third party is standing up for the company. The CEO of Iridium Communications, Matt Desch. A well known customer of SpaceX. It would seem there's a good chance his sources are from within SpaceX. As reported by Bloomberg, he's pinning the Zuma failure on Northrup Grumman.
SpaceX Customer Blames Northrop Grumman for Missing Satellite

 

[ccutrer]

Some positive news in the defense of SpaceX. A highly regarded third party is standing up for the company. The CEO of Iridium Communications, Matt Desch. A well known customer of SpaceX. It would seem there's a good chance his sources are from within SpaceX. As reported by Bloomberg, he's pinning the Zuma failure on Northrup Grumman.
SpaceX Customer Blames Northrop Grumman for Missing Satellite

I don’t read that he actually has any inside information on this particular launch, but that he is familiar with how launch arrangements are made, and who owns what parts. And then he speculates, as many of us have, that it was a failure of the dispenser provided by NG.

 

[Electroman]

He is in a better position to speculate than our resident experts AR and bro999

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Given Iridium's past defence of SpaceX, including in the launch pad explosion, I guess we do have to consider the possibility that they too have an agenda of their own. Everyone does. Iridium at the very least has an interest in SpaceX succeeding for rather obvious reasons.

In reality we don't know and most likely even they don't know who is to blame. As said, everyone is speculating and commenting from their biased perspective.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Never mind “Elon’s companies“. Do you have verifiable evidence of SpaceX ever lying in the past?

Yeah, counter to the FUD spreading here, SpaceX has no history of lying in the past and has never hesitated to delay missions if there are any issues that come up in previous missions or interesting data they can look at. Heck, this zuma mission was delayed multiple times.

 

[bro1999]

Never mind “Elon’s companies“. Do you have verifiable evidence of SpaceX ever lying in the past?

Don't need to lie to be at fault for something. Tesla didn't "lie" about the car logs pulled from Joshua Brown's car and assertions the car performed as expected. Doesn't mean they were blameless, though they sure tried to push that angle.

An autonomous car that is programed to not stop and run over pedestrians on a street because the programmers think in their mind that's the correct way to program and its safer for the driver to behave that way (versus slamming the brakes and getting possibly rear ended multiple times).

Does that absolve the car company of any blame when the car runs over someone? "Hey, it worked as programmed. Tell your sob story somewhere else!"

But to answer your question, no, I've never seen reports of SpaceX lying. But no lying does not mean no blame.

 

[SO16]

I wonder if there were cameras on the second stage showing the payload release. Too bad they couldn’t just blur out the satellite but still show it being released from the second stage.

 

[Doug_G]

Don't need to lie to be at fault for something. Tesla didn't "lie" about the car logs pulled from Joshua Brown's car and assertions the car performed as expected. Doesn't mean they were blameless, though they sure tried to push that angle.

An autonomous car that is programed to not stop and run over pedestrians on a street because the programmers think in their mind that's the correct way to program and its safer for the driver to behave that way (versus slamming the brakes and getting possibly rear ended multiple times).

Does that absolve the car company of any blame when the car runs over someone? "Hey, it worked as programmed. Tell your sob story somewhere else!"

But to answer your question, no, I've never seen reports of SpaceX lying. But no lying does not mean no blame.

Your answer makes my point. You are talking about Tesla. I'm talking about SpaceX.

Yes they have the same CEO. But that does not mean that the companies are the same.

 

[Doug_G]

Okay I just evicted a bunch of stuff to snippiness

Let's stay on topic, and stop arguing. Please.

 

[Grendal]

Don't need to lie to be at fault for something. Tesla didn't "lie" about the car logs pulled from Joshua Brown's car and assertions the car performed as expected. Doesn't mean they were blameless, though they sure tried to push that angle.

An autonomous car that is programed to not stop and run over pedestrians on a street because the programmers think in their mind that's the correct way to program and its safer for the driver to behave that way (versus slamming the brakes and getting possibly rear ended multiple times).

Does that absolve the car company of any blame when the car runs over someone? "Hey, it worked as programmed. Tell your sob story somewhere else!"

But to answer your question, no, I've never seen reports of SpaceX lying. But no lying does not mean no blame.

This is the SpaceX subforum. If you want to comment about SpaceX great. If you want to comment about Tesla there are plenty of sections focused on that. Making the assumption that one company acts exactly like the other company is faulty. If that is what you want to do then create a thread about that and bring evidence to discuss that. This is supposed to be a thread about the Zuma launch, the articles written about it, and what may have gone wrong.

So let's get back to the subject at hand.

What do we factually know at this point:
1. Launch happened.
2. Rumors began surfacing that the payload "failed."
3. Articles came out from WSJ and Bloomberg with "unnamed sources" saying that the payload failed to separate and was destroyed along with the second stage as it burned up in the atmosphere.
4. Almost immediately contradictory evidence developed that showed that the information in the articles was likely incorrect.
5. More news agencies picked up the original articles and repeated their information.
6. SpaceX gives out a statement that nothing went wrong from their side of the launch.
7. A number of rebuttal articles come out contradicting the original articles with the little evidence available.