【family eroticism】

Just call it Schrödinger's rocket launch.

A classified government mission launched to space atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket may or family eroticismmay not be functioning in orbit after its Sunday night launch from Florida; but aside from some rumors and anonymous quotes, we really don't know what's going on with the U.S.'s secret satellite.

SEE ALSO: SpaceX launches secret government mission, brings rocket back in for a landing

According to anonymous sources quoted in stories published in the Wall Street Journaland Bloomberg, the mission — codenamed Zuma — appears to have failed to separate from the rocket as expected after launch.

Zuma is "presumed to be a total loss," according to the Wall Street Journal.

For its part, SpaceX is taking none of the blame for the possible failure, with company president Gwynne Shotwell releasing a statement saying that "after review of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night."

Via Giphy

Shotwell added: "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."

Northrop Grumman, the company that purchased the SpaceX launch for the Zuma payload on the government's behalf, was also unable to comment on the state of the satellite due to the fact that it's classified.

Space Track — which tracks and catalogues objects in orbit — did create an entry for Zuma, implying that the spacecraft completed at least one orbit, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, but it's still possible that Zuma failed afterwards.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

McDowell also added that Space Track made a mistake in its addition of Zuma to the catalog.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Ultimately, the truth of the government's secret satellite remains a mystery and it's probably going to stay that way.

The government agency responsible for launching the spacecraft hasn't claimed it, which is somewhat odd. Even the National Reconnaissance Office, responsible for U.S. spy satellites, usually claims its secret launches.

Unclaimed launches aren't unprecedented, however.

In 2009 and 2014, two missions, called PAN and CLIO were unclaimed when launched. Eventually, it was revealed that PAN was actually intercepting communications above the Middle East for the National Security Agency.

Via Giphy

Zuma's launch was aired live via webcast by SpaceX, though the company cut away after the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket came back in for a landing.

At that time, the company reported that everything had gone well with the rocket.

Hopefully, for SpaceX's sake, that's true. The company has a busy year ahead of it, with dozens of launches on the books and its upcoming maiden flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket, designed to being large payloads to orbit and beyond.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

If there were a problem with the Falcon 9 during this launch, it's likely that SpaceX would stand down its launch schedule and wait for a thorough review, but because they've found no problems to date, the company is claiming that it's pressing ahead.

"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," Shotwell said.

"Falcon Heavy has been rolled out to launchpad LC-39A for a static fire later this week, to be followed shortly thereafter by its maiden flight. We are also preparing for an F9 launch for SES and the Luxembourg Government from SLC-40 in three weeks."

---

Featured Video For You

---

Making pizza in space is incredibly hard, ya'll

---

• Social Good
• Deals
• Digital Culture
• Life
• Games
• Science
• Tech
• Shopping

• 'Severance' Reddit theory may have answered the 'Cold Harbor' mystery
• ESPN host breaks into tears while talking about racism in America
• I tried out the ghd rise Volumising Hot Brush on long, thick hair. Here's how it fared.
• Your Eyes Deceive You: Claire Beckett at the Wadsworth Atheneum by Drew Johnson
• Classified Zuma spacecraft may have failed after SpaceX launch
• FaZe Clan, Jeffree Star, and MrBeast received coronavirus relief loans
• On Press with The Paris Review by Stephen Hiltner
• Tapes on Books: Mrs. Dalloway by Christine Muhlke and Leanne Shapton
• Tesla sales are reportedly falling globally. How bad is it?
• 'Platonic' review: Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne deliver the best comedy of the summer

• 12 best TV and movie recipes from 'Binging with Babish'
• The 13 best tweets of the week, including GameStop jokes, LMFAO, and Thanos
• Robinhood to reopen GameStop buying after $1 billion raise
• How to shop online in the least wasteful ways possible
• Hefner's son is embarrassed that Trump made Playboy's cover
• 3 scientists win Nobel Prize in medicine for biological clock research
• How to set a sleep timer in iOS for Netflix, Hulu or any streaming app
• You'll soon be able to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask
• This $30,800 watch would annoy the hell out of me
• Twitter thinks it knows why Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon CEO

• Perplexity's new Deep Research tool is powered by DeepSeek R1
• Kubrick, Steinbeck, and Stine, Oh My! by Sadie Stein
• 12 best tweets of the week, including beans and Keanu Reeves
• Dr. Phil pleads with everyone online to stop calling him 'daddy.'
• Google's officially retiring Assistant
• What We’re Loving: Old New York, The Boss, SodaStream by The Paris Review
• All in a Single String by Maria Konnikova
• Netflix password sharing crackdown begins: New pricing, rules revealed
• Classified Zuma spacecraft may have failed after SpaceX launch
• Dear Paris Review, Where Do I Publish? by Lorin Stein

• The World Wide Web Turns 30: A Timeline
• What We’re Loving: Old New York, The Boss, SodaStream by The Paris Review
• ESPN host breaks into tears while talking about racism in America
• TPR vs. Vanity Fair: The Sense of an Ending (With Pictures!) by Cody Wiewandt
• Panthers vs. Sharks 2025 livestream: Watch NRL for free
• Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi sheds light on the Bing vs Google rivalry
• 112 Greene Street by Claire Barliant
• Buy Elvis’s Library Card by Sadie Stein
• Best Garmin deal: Save $50 on the Venu 3S at Best Buy
• Keep your masks: The future of anti