Secretive Space Force X-37 space plane headed back to launch pad. Here's what we know.
The Boeing-built X-37B is ready to see its eighth mission less than six months after completing its last. Currently being prepared for launch at Boeing's facilities at Kennedy Space Center, according to a statement from the company, and is slated for a liftoff no earlier than August 21 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A.
The space plane landed quietly in early March at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The vehicle spent over 430 days cruising around the Earth.
That mission was launched launched atop a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 28, 2023. Now the Space Coast is set to see this mysterious space vehicle launch again.
What will the X-37B space plane be doing for the Space Force?
So what is this mysterious space plane doing on this mission? Turns out it's mostly about testing means of communication and navigation in orbit.
According to Boeing, the X-37B will be carrying experiments for the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Innovation Unit.
"First, laser communications demos in Low Earth Orbit will contribute to more efficient and secure satellite communications in the future. The shorter wavelength of infrared light allows more data to be sent with each transmission," Space Force commander General Chance Saltzman wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
There will also be testing of a new sensor, which will enable GPS contact where communication would have previously been difficult.
"We're also demoing the world's highest performing quantum inertial sensor ever used in space. Bottom line: Testing this tech will be helpful for navigation in contested environments where GPS may be degraded or denied," said Saltzman.
This includes beyond Earth orbit and around the moon, according to Boeing.
"This mission is about more than innovation. It's about making our Joint Force more connected, more resilient, and ready to operate in the face of any challenge. That's how America's Space Force secures our Nation's interests in, from, and to space," said Saltzman.
When is the next Florida rocket launch? Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
X-37B space plane stats
The X-37B is a bit like NASA's Space Shuttle — however it is uncrewed and launched as a payload as opposed to on the side of boosters. According to Boeing, the X-37B has a body and landing operation similar to the Space Shuttle, however it is smaller, measuring in at just one-fourth the size of the shuttle.
The reusable space plane, first launched in 2010. It has seen over 4,200 days in orbit.
The X-37B last caught attention in December, when the Space Force released photo of Earth taken by the X-37B from a high orbit.
While that last mission was over 430 days, some missions are longer than others. FLORIDA TODAY previously reported the sixth flight of the X-37B lasted 908 days. It is unknown how long the X-37B will be in orbit for its upcoming eighth mission.
According to Boeing, the space plane orbits between 150-500 miles above the Earth.
Due to the X-37B being a classified Space Force mission, details remain limited.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What we know: Mysterious Space Force X-37 space plane upcoming launch
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