While the division will pay $130 million for the mission, which is more than what a non-classified SpaceX launch costs, that's still much smaller than the $350 million minimum it would have to pay for a ULA Delta IV Heavy launch. Whatever the Air Force's reason is, it's clear that the data SpaceX gathered during Falcon Heavy's demo flight was enough to convince the military division, even though it only had Elon Musk's cherry-colored Tesla Roadster (and Starman) as payload.

SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement: