The U.S. Space Force is gearing up for the seventh launch of its mysterious X-37B space plane. The Space Force and SpaceX are making final preparations for the planned Sunday evening launch of the robotic X-37B, which will be lifted off by a Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The X-37B, built by Boeing, is scheduled to lift off during a 10-minute window that opens at 8:14 p.m. EST on December 10. The space plane, which looks similar to NASA’s old space shuttle orbiters but is much smaller, is believed to possess two vehicles, both of which were built by Boeing. The missions have been increasing in ambition, with the most recent one, OTV-6, circling Earth for 908 days.
The upcoming flight, OTV-7, has an unclear duration, and details about X-37B missions are limited as most of their payloads are classified. However, it is known that the space plane also carries civilian research cargo, such as the NASA project Seeds-2, which will test how seeds are affected by long-term exposure to space radiation.
This launch will be the first to use the powerful Falcon Heavy rocket, which has had eight missions to date. The X-37B’s previous missions launched atop United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets, and the most recent one flew aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
The X-37B’s missions have been shrouded in secrecy, with military officials stating that the space plane is primarily used as a testbed for new technologies. With the upcoming launch, space enthusiasts will be eager to see what new advancements and experiments will be conducted in space.