SpaceX Attempts ‘Big Bang’ Military Mission With Massive Rocket

SpaceX’s latest launch, billed by Elon Musk as the company’s most difficult ever, has the potential to be extraordinary for a whole host of reasons. It’s a fitting chapter in a remarkable story about a rocket maker that fought like mad to fly for the Air Force, and has made major business decisions since then on the basis of this relationship.

Late Monday night, SpaceX will fly its massive Falcon Heavy rocket for just the third time ever. The mission for the branch of the U.S. military is to deliver 24 satellites to space on boosters that are being reused after having flown in the past. The payloads are assembled from several partners, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, Department of Defense Research labs and university research projects.