U.S. Spy Satellite Believed Lost

U.S. Spy Satellite Believed Lost After SpaceX Mission Fails
Secret payload code-named Zuma failed to reach orbit after Sunday launch; industry officials estimate satellite worth billions

An expensive, highly classified U.S. spy satellite is presumed to be a total loss after it failed to reach orbit atop a Space Exploration Technologies Corp. rocket on Sunday, according to industry and government officials.

The satellite, code-named Zuma, failed to reach orbit and fell back into Earth's atmosphere after separating from the Falcon 9 rocket.

A SpaceX representative told Business Insider, "We do not comment on missions of this nature, but as of right now reviews of the data indicate Falcon 9 performed nominally."

A highly classified US spy satellite is missing after a SpaceX launch from Florida on Sunday, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

Zuma was initially scheduled to launch in November but was delayed until the rocket and satellite were declared "healthy" for launch last week.

The mission most likely cost billions of dollars, and congressional lawmakers have been briefed on the developments, The Journal reported.