Miami — On Monday, SpaceX launched a US government satellite, known only as NROL-76, marking the first military launch for the California-based aerospace company headed by technology tycoon Elon Musk. The launch broke the 10-year monopoly of the Lockheed Martin-Boeing partnership. The payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which makes and operates spy satellites for the US, soared into the sky atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 11.15am GMT. About 10 minutes after launch, the scorched first stage of the rocket came back to Earth and landed upright at Cape Canaveral, marking the fourth successful solid-ground landing for SpaceX. "And we have touchdown," a SpaceX commentator said on a live webcast as cheers broke out at mission control. "The first stage has landed back at Landing Zone 1. Another good day for us at SpaceX. A beautiful sight to see." Live video of the launch showed the first and second stages of the rocket separating about two and a half minutes into the flight. Th...
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