SpaceX is preparing to launch the X-37B spaceplane of the US Space Force
SpaceX is preparing to launch the US Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket, Space reports.
The X-37B will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. JFK in Florida on December 7, 2023, during its seventh mission, dubbed USSF-52.
According to the US Space Force, this will be the first launch of the X-37B on a Falcon Heavy rocket.
The mission will be a continuation of previous flights in which the X-37B was used to launch experimental payloads and return them to Earth.
Previously, the US Space Force used the United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket to launch the X-37B.
The use of a different rocket during this launch may indicate that the X-37B is carrying a heavier payload.
The US Space Force said the USSF-52 mission will expand knowledge of the space environment by experimenting with future space exploration technologies.
The X-37B, developed by Boeing, first launched into space in 2010. During the previous flight, it spent 908 days in orbit, after which it completed the mission on November 12, 2022, landing at the Kennedy Space Center.
