Lost in space? Questions mount over fate of secret satellite as SpaceX pushes ahead

The top-secret satellite known only by a code name, "Zuma," was a mystery from the start. Its classified mission was intentionally inscrutable, whether to detect missile launches, spy on adversaries or track ships at sea with a space radar.

The satellite was so highly secretive that it was not publicly released which government agency — The National Reconnaissance Office? The CIA? — was responsible for it. During the launch on the evening of Jan. 7, SpaceX cut short its webcast so that it wouldn't reveal details of where the satellite was going or what it looked like.