Falcon 9 in SpaceX's Cape Canaveral hangar in advance of the Orbcomm OG2 Mission 1.

The U.S. Air Force has certified the latest version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, known as the Falcon 9 Upgrade, to launch national security satellites, according to a Jan. 25 press release.

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Mike Gruss is the chief content and strategy officer at SpaceNews. From 2013 to 2016 he was a senior reporter at SpaceNews covering military space. Previously, he was editor in chief of Sightline Media Group and worked as a reporter and columnist for...