- X-37B: US Air Force Spaceplane
- Falcon Heavy Launch
- Classified Objectives, Unique Orbit
Monday night, SpaceX is scheduled to deploy the ‘spy’ spaceplane of the United States Air Force for an additional classified mission.
At 8:14 p.m. ET, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to depart from Cape Canaveral, Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, operated by NASA.
Since its introduction in 2010, this will be the seventh mission of the secretive X-37B, and most of its payload is classified.
Certain authorities have postulated that the USSF craft may be employed for covert intelligence purposes, monitoring Chinese space activities, or reconnaissance system testing.
Theoretically, the X-37B can transport anti-satellite munitions into space, which could be utilised to protect U.S. satellites.
China and Russia have accused the United States of employing the aircraft as bombers.
Since 2010, this autonomous vehicle has been conducting various classified missions on behalf of the military organisation, enabling the group to conduct technological trials in outer space.
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In previous missions, the X-37B has shown its function as a military workshop for innovative space technologies.
The X-37B can alter its orbit, making it difficult for observers to detect to maintain concealment.
X-37B Mission: Solar-Powered Orbital Testing
The aircraft, powered by solar cells and lithium-ion batteries, was in orbit at approximately 200 miles.
The United States Air Force confirmed in 2015 that the aircraft was undergoing testing of a novel electric propulsion system.
The X-37B mission will encompass an extensive array of experimental and testing objectives, as stated in the official statement of the USSF.
The assessments above comprise activities such as piloting the reusable spacecraft through uncharted orbital regimes, evaluating forthcoming space domain awareness technologies, and examining the impacts of radiation on materials supplied by NASA.
The USSF informed SpaceFlightNow in a statement that the Falcon Heavy launch ushers in a new era for the craft, which had hitherto been deployed aboard the considerably lesser payload capacities of the Falcon 9 and Atlas V.
The USSF stated, “The utilisation of a Falcon Heavy rocket will enable the X-37B to enter a novel orbital regime and conduct unprecedented experiments by expanding its flight envelope.”
X-37B Launch Update
The launch, initially scheduled for Sunday evening, experienced a 24-hour postponement. The reason for the launch delay remains unknown. However, SpaceX issued an update via its X (previously Twitter) account on Sunday:
“The Falcon Heavy is currently aiming to launch the USSF-52 mission on Monday, December 11. Weather conditions are expected to increase to a 70% favourable level by Monday night, which is ideal for liftoff. The time will be utilised by the team to conduct further pre-launch check-outs.”
Official records confirm that the X-37B will follow a new course notwithstanding its classified orbit and activity.
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle will carry a classified payload and an experiment on seedlings and space radiation.
The initial mission concluded in 2010 and was 224 days in duration. The subsequent mission continued for 468 days the following year and took 780 days to complete in 2019.
