This site may earn chapter commissions from the links on this page. Terms of employ.

X-37b US Air Force

The United states Air Force'due south mysterious X-37B infinite plane is set to become off on another underground mission in infinite, but its trip into space will come courtesy of a new partner: SpaceX. The launch is currently scheduled for September 7th at Cape Canaveral, just days alee of the potential landfall of Hurricane Irma. In that location's a chance the launch will exist postponed due to atmospheric condition, and no one knows what the 10-37B will go up to fifty-fifty if it is launched successfully tomorrow.

This will be the fifth flight for the X-37B and the first ane performed past SpaceX. All previous Ten-37B missions have used an Atlas 5 rocket operated by United Launch Brotherhood (a articulation venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing). The Falcon 9 is already prepped and waiting on the famed 39A launch pad at Cape Canaveral, the location of NASA'due south Saturn Five launches. Following the launch, SpaceX intends to land the first stage booster at Greatcoat Canaveral's Landing Zone one several minutes afterward. That'south becoming standard practice for SpaceX as information technology consistently nails landings at sea on its unmanned drone send. Information technology should be no problem setting downwards on solid state.

The X-37B, as well known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) was designed for the U.s. government past Boeing. It's most 29 feet long and weighs in at 11,000 pounds. It began as a NASA project based on the design of the Space Shuttle, but information technology was transferred to the Department of Defense in 2004. It is launched atop a rocket, but lands like the Space Shuttle on a conventional runway. Information technology's an unmanned spacecraft, but all other details of its nature are speculative. Reports have claimed the 10-37B is conducting spy missions, testing new equipment for armed forces satellites, and even that it'south testing new methods of propulsion. Its ability to land in i piece allows researchers to examine all the equipment it carried into orbit.

An X-37B launch in 2022 with an Atlas V rocket.

Forecasts currently betoken to a roughly l percent chance that the launch volition take place during the launch window between 9:l AM and ii:55 PM. Atmospheric condition is merely expected to become worse later in the calendar week as Hurricane Irma begins to affect wind weather condition and atmospheric pressure. There may not be any particular rush for the Air Forcefulness — the 10-37B tends to remain in infinite for months at a fourth dimension running tests. In fact, its most contempo deployment lasted a whopping 718 days, a record for a reusable spacecraft. No i knows how long this mission will last.