Four days after the U.S. government’s classified Zuma spacecraft apparently failed after being launched on a SpaceX rocket, the Department of Defense remained mum on exactly what happened.

At a Pentagon press briefing Jan. 11, DoD spokeswoman Dana White declined to comment on the matter, referring questions to SpaceX.

SpaceX launches the JCSAT-16 commercial communications satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket. Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX launches the JCSAT-16 commercial communications satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket. Photo: SpaceX

“We’re not going to be able to give you any more information,” added Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., the Joint Staff director.

While congressional aides have been told that the Zuma mission was unsuccessful, SpaceX has insisted in a Jan. 9 statement that its Falcon 9 rocket “did everything correctly” in its Jan. 7 launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida (Defense Daily, Jan. 9).

Northrop Grumman [NOC], which built Zuma and acquired the launch service, has declined to discuss the spacecraft’s purpose, specific customer or fate.

In other matters, White said that John Rood, who recently received Senate confirmation as undersecretary of defense for policy (Defense Daily, Jan. 4), has officially begun his new job.

“We just welcomed John Rood … this week, so we’re very excited to have him on board,” she said.

A day after Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) urged DoD to talk more openly about its needs to build support for higher defense budgets (Defense, Daily, Jan. 10), White said the department is trying to strike a balance between informing lawmakers and the public and keeping sensitive details from potential adversaries.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis “has said many times how it’s very important that we not telegraph to the enemy,” White said.

Asked about recent drone attacks on Russian airfields in Syria, McKenzie denied Russian claims that the United States was involved.