The top-secret X-37B spacecraft, launched aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket from Florida, began its seventh mission in a higher orbit than its previous six.
The Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the X-37B aircraft takes off. Video : SciNews
The U.S. military's X-37B automated spacecraft lifted off on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 8:07 p.m. local time on December 28 (7:07 a.m. on December 29 Hanoi time) after weeks of delays. Two previous attempts to launch the top-secret X-37B spacecraft earlier this month were canceled due to bad weather and ground equipment issues, according to Space .
The launch on December 28th marked the seventh liftoff of the X-37B to date and its first flight on the Falcon Heavy rocket, the second most powerful rocket in the world today (after NASA's Space Launch System). This was SpaceX's 95th rocket launch in 2023, and the next launch came just hours after a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 Starlink satellites launched from the US Space Force's Cape Station. The X-37B's new mission, codenamed OTV-7 (Orbital Test Vehicle-7) or USSF-52, will utilize the power of the booster rocket. The primary goals of the flight include "operating a reusable spacecraft in a new orbit."
The Falcon Heavy consists of the first three stages of the Falcon 9 rocket joined together. The central booster is located in the second stage with the cargo capsule at the top. The first three stages of the Falcon Heavy are reusable. This time, the two outermost stages returned and landed safely at Cape Canaveral Station, next to KSC, about 8.5 minutes after launch. This was the fifth launch and landing of the two stages. The central booster stage of the Falcon Heavy rocket flew for the first and only time. It fell into the Atlantic Ocean after launch, using too much fuel to return to Earth for recovery and reuse.
The X-37B resembles NASA's decommissioned space shuttle but is much smaller. The unmanned vehicle is only 8.8 meters long with a wingspan of 4.6 meters. In contrast, each space shuttle is 37 meters long and has a wingspan of over 24 meters. The U.S. Space Force possesses two X-37B vehicles, both manufactured by Boeing. The spacecraft are primarily used as orbital test sites, allowing the military to examine how equipment operates in the space environment. However, details about the X-37B's missions, from flight plans to core equipment, are kept secret. For example, the U.S. Space Force has only spoken generally about the goals of OTV-7, such as expanding understanding of space experimentation with future technologies.
The X-37B also carries some civilian equipment, such as NASA's Seeds-2 experiment. Seeds-2 will expose plant seeds to the harsh radiation environment of a long flight. The project will build on the success of previous experiments, paving the way for future crewed missions.
US authorities have not disclosed how long the OTV-7 mission will last. All six previous X-37B missions lasted more than seven months each, flying in low Earth orbit, just a few hundred kilometers above the ground. The Falcon Heavy takes the X-37B much higher, potentially to geostationary orbit at an altitude of 35,000 km. The first five X-37B flights launched on Atlas V rockets from United Launch Alliance. SpaceX provided launch services for the two most recent missions: OTV-6, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket, and OTV-7, launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket.
An Khang (According to Space )
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