{"id":10254,"date":"2023-11-09T21:28:03","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T13:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/u-s-militarys-x-37b-mini-shuttle-to-launch-on-spacex-falcon-heavy-for-the-first-time\/"},"modified":"2023-11-09T21:28:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T13:28:03","slug":"u-s-militarys-x-37b-mini-shuttle-to-launch-on-spacex-falcon-heavy-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/u-s-militarys-x-37b-mini-shuttle-to-launch-on-spacex-falcon-heavy-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. military\u2019s X-37B mini-shuttle to launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle sits on the runway at Space Florida\u2019s Launch and Landing Facility after returning from its sixth mission on Nov. 12, 2022. Image: U.S. Space Force<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The U.S. military\u2019s experimental spaceplane will soon soar to orbit using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, a Pentagon news release announced. The X-37B spacecraft will launch from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center no earlier than December 7.<\/p>\n

The Falcon Heavy launch will mark the seventh flight of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. The mini-shuttle is operated by Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, in partnership with the United States Space Force. The mission was previously dubbed USSF-52 by the U.S. Space Force.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to expand the envelope of the reusable X-37B\u2019s capabilities, using the flight-proven service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to fly multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners,\u201d said Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, the X-37B Program Director, in a statement.<\/p>\n

The news release said the mission would see the spaceplane operate in \u201cnew orbital regimes\u201d without any specific details. Previous X-37B missions have operated in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n

The spaceplane is designed for long-duration missions on orbit for various tests and experiments on behalf of the Space Force as well as NASA. This upcoming flight, OTV-7, will include a radiation experiment called \u201cSeeds-2,\u201d which will study the impacts of radiation on various plant seeds during long-duration spaceflight.<\/p>\n

The upcoming flight will also be \u201cexperimenting with future space domain awareness technologies\u201d in order to ensure \u201csafe, stable, and secure operations in space for all users of the domain.\u201d<\/p>\n

OTV-7 will mark the first launch of the X-37B on a Falcon Heavy rocket. The fifth flight of the spaceplane took off on a Falcon 9 Block 4 rocket back on Sept. 7, 2017. The other four launches used a ULA Atlas 5 rocket to get to orbit.<\/p>\n