On December 29, SpaceX launched a secret X-37B spaceplane for the US Space Force on its Falcon Heavy rocket.
This was reported by Space.
The launch took place on December 29 at 3:07 a.m. from NASA’s Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida.
The X-37B is an unmanned spaceplane that performs long-term missions in space with classified experiments and technology testing.
This will be the seventh flight of the X-37B since 2010 and the first time it will be launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket. Previously, the X-37B flew on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets.
The reason for using a more powerful SpaceX rocket remains unknown, but it may be related to the weight of the cargo. The X-37B has a cargo compartment that can accommodate a variety of devices.
Most of the details of the X-37B mission remain secret, but it is known that there will be one open experiment on board: NASA’s Seeds-2 project, which will study the effects of radiation and long-term spaceflight on plant seeds.