U.S. Space Force's Upcoming X-37B Mission to Launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy

Tuesday - December 12 2023, 13:40 UTC - 11 months ago

The US Space Force X-37B mission, announced by Elon Musk on Sunday, December 10, 2023, on X, should go ahead soon this evening, December 11th, 2021. It is set to launch on SpaceX's Falcon heavy and be the seventh mission for the X-37B space plane. It's objectives include operating in new orbital regimes, as it will be carried to a higher orbit farther from Earth than the previously used Atlas V and Falcon 9 rockets. It also carries an unclassified experiment known as Seed-2, which will test the effects of radiation and long-duration spaceflight on plant seeds.

The latest U.S. Space Force X-37B mission is set to go ahead today after being pushed back due to bad weather. The launch, announced by Elon Musk on Sunday, December 10, 2023, on X, should go ahead sometime this evening, December 11.

The launch was originally planned for Sunday at 8:14 pm ET at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. However, it was delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy .

SpaceX's "Falcon Heavy" is set to launch from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch is scheduled for a 10-minute window that opens at 8:14 pm EST (0114 GMT December 12). However, SpaceX announced a 24-hour delay of the flight early Sunday.

"Now targeting Monday, December 11 for Falcon Heavy's launch of the USSF-52 mission, with weather conditions forecasted to improve to 70% favorable for liftoff on Monday night," SpaceX wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "The team will use the time to complete additional pre-launch checkouts," the post added.

The Boeing X-37B is an unmanned robotic spacecraft developed from an earlier variant used by NASA. It is operated by the United States Air Force's "Rapid Capabilities Office" in collaboration with the Space Force.

Also known as the "Orbital Test Vehicle," The X-37B is a reusable spacecraft that is launched vertically into orbit by a launch vehicle. It eventually re-enters Earth's atmosphere as a spaceplane and lands horizontally on a runway, much like the now-retired Space Shuttle program.

Should the mission go ahead as rescheduled, it will be the seventh for the X-37B space plane. It will also be the first time it rides on a SpaceX "Falcon Heavy" rocket. Five of the X-37 B's previous missions used United Launch Alliance "Atlas V" rockets, while the others used a SpaceX "Falcon 9." However, the "Falcon Heavy" is a superior rocket as it can carry more mass to orbit.

The upcoming X-37B mission, OTV-7 ("Orbital Test Vehicle-7"), has some exciting objectives, including operating in new orbital regimes. Given that the launch vehicle is the "Falcon Heavy," this mission will likely occur in a higher orbit, farther from Earth. The upgrade in the launch vehicle is also interesting, as Space.com reports, as it may be due to the X-37 B's cargo bay and the need for added lift capability.

The uncertainty surrounding X-37B missions is not surprising since most details are classified. However, USSF-52 does carry at least one unclassified experiment: NASA's "Seeds-2" project, which will test the effects of radiation and long-duration spaceflight on plant seeds.

The fifth mission for boosters .

Each consecutive X-37B mission has been longer than the one before, with the most recent mission, OTV-6, lasting 908 days in orbit before landing in November 2022. The upcoming missions will also be the ninth for the "Falcon Heavy." It will also be the fifth time that the side boosters of the rocket will be used to support a mission, having most recently launched NASA's "Starshot" mission in 2021.