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The X-37B’s payload is almost entirely classified, fueling weapons rumors.
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SpaceX will launch the US Air Force’s ‘spy’ space plane on Monday night for another classified mission.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to lift off at 8:14 p.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
This mission will be the secretive X-37B’s seventh since its debut in 2010, and most of the ship’s payload is classified.
Some experts have speculated that the USSF ship is used to conduct espionage missions, monitor Chinese space operations or test reconnaissance systems.
In theory, the X-37B can carry weapons into space, possibly to defend US satellites against anti-satellite weapons.
China and Russia have accused the US government of using the ship as a bomber.
The X-37B is a military spacecraft that carries classified payloads to Earth orbit. His last mission lasted 908 days.
The pilotless craft has been performing a series of classified missions for the military group since 2010, allowing it to test new technologies in space.
Past missions have shown that the X-37B is a military workshop for new space technologies.
The X-37B can make stealthy changes to its orbit, changing direction in a way that is difficult for observers to detect.
Powered by solar cells with lithium-ion batteries, the plane orbited at about 200 miles high.
In 2015, the US Air Force confirmed that the ship was being used to test a new electric propulsion system.
This time, the X-37B mission will include “a wide range of test and experimentation objectives,” according to the USSF official. statement.
X-37B spaceplane to enter Earth orbit for the first time with USSF insignia
The Falcon Heavy rocket can carry a much heavier payload into space than the Falcon 9 or Atlas V. This suggests that the X-37B will fly higher than during previous missions.
“These tests include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the effects of radiation on materials provided by NASA.”
According to a statement the USSF gave to SpaceFlightNow, the Falcon Heavy launch marks a new era for the ship, which previously launched on a Falcon 9 or Atlas V, both of which have significantly smaller payload capacities.
“The use of a Falcon Heavy rocket will expand the flight envelope of the X-37B, launching it into a new orbital regime and allowing unique experimentation opportunities for the X-37B,” USSF saying.
Initially scheduled for Sunday night, the launch was delayed by 24 hours. It’s unclear why the launch was delayed, but SpaceX provided an update on Sunday from its X account (formerly Twitter):
‘We are now targeting Monday, December 11 for the launch of the USSF-52 mission by the Falcon Heavy, and weather conditions are forecast to improve to 70% favorable for liftoff on Monday night. The team will use the time to complete additional pre-launch checks.
Although details of the X-37B’s orbit and activities are classified, authorities documents They seem to confirm that he will take a different path than the past.
In addition to its classified payload, the X-37B orbital test vehicle will carry out an experiment that tracks the effects of space radiation on seeds.
The first mission in 2010 lasted 224 days, the second a year later lasted 468 days, and the mission that ended in 2019 lasted a total of 780 days.