EYES IN THE SKY
SpaceX to launch mysterious spy satellite into orbit tomorrow – how to watch live
SPACEX is hoping to launch a spy satellite tomorrow and you can watch it live.
The launch window was supposed to open today at 09:45 ET (1400 GMT) but it's been pushed back to allow time for additional checks.
Elon Musk's company will be sending the spy satellite into orbit for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
When it does eventually launch it will be from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The exact time of liftoff has not been announced yet.
People all over the world will be able to watch live on homepage.
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The footage should start 15 minutes before blast off.
The satellite will be loaded onto a Falcon 9 rocket.
It will be SpaceX's 31st launch this year.
The SpaceX website states: "SpaceX is now targeting Saturday, December 19 for launch of the NROL-108 mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
"Saturday’s three-hour launch window opens at 9:00 a.m. EST, or 14:00 UTC, and closes at 12:00 p.m. EST, or 17:00 UTC."
That's 2pm GMT for people in the UK.
The mission will be special because it should feature a landing at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station rather than a common drone landing at sea.
SpaceX has warned that residents nearby may hear a sonic boom as the rocket touching down at that landing site.
It said: "There is the possibility that local residents may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing attempt.
"Residents of Brevard County are most likely to hear one or more sonic boom, although what residents experience will depend on weather conditions and other factors."
What is SpaceX?
Here's what you need to know...
SpaceX was founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk who still has part ownership of the company with 54 per cent equity and 78 per cent voting control.
SpaceX is a private American aerospace manufacturer that is based in California.
It was founded in 2002 with the goal to build affordable rockets and enable the colonisation of Mars.
The manufacturer also aimed to reduce space transportation costs.
Since its creation, the firm has gained fame primarily as a pioneering rocket firm.
In 2008 it launched the first privately-funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit and later became the first private company to launch an object into orbit around the sun.
The company has grown dramatically over its lifespan, from 160 employees in November 2005 to around 7,000 as of November 2019.
As of March 2018, SpaceX had over 100 launches on its manifest representing about $12billion (£9.24billion) in contract revenue.
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