Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX company is scheduled to launch the X-37B spacecraft on the evening of December 11 (US time) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
X-37B spacecraft lands on November 12, 2022
However, just 25 minutes before launch, SpaceX announced the flight was canceled and delayed for at least 24 hours, according to Reuters.
In a statement on social network X, SpaceX said the countdown was halted due to a “ground-side issue” while the vehicle and payload remained safe. The initial plan was to launch the spacecraft late on December 10 but was canceled due to bad weather.
Falcon Heavy rocket during launch in 2018
This is the seventh mission of the US military's mysterious X-37B spacecraft and the first time it has been launched on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket.
The Falcon Heavy rocket has two stages, with the lower stage having three cores connected together with a total of 27 engines. The second stage has only one engine.
Structure of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets
SCREENSHOT THE NEW YORK TIMES
The X-37B spacecraft is protected by a shell at the top of the rocket. Once in space, the shell and the spacecraft separate. The spacecraft can operate independently for a long time in space, then return to Earth and land like a normal airplane. SpaceX's rocket boosters are also designed to be reusable.
The X-37B will conduct a number of studies during this mission. The most recent mission ends in November 2022.
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