Florida: The US military's enigmatic X-37B spaceplane embarked on its seventh mission, propelled by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, marking the maiden voyage atop this robust rocket capable of reaching an unprecedented high orbit.
Amidst a stunning nighttime spectacle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Falcon Heavy—comprising three liquid-fueled rocket cores—successfully lifted off, streamed live on SpaceX's webcast. This launch, following multiple delays due to adverse weather and technical glitches, eventually proceeded after ground crews maneuvered the spacecraft back to its hangar.
This mission comes on the heels of China's own Shenlong, or "Divine Dragon," launch, adding an intriguing dimension to the intensifying US-China space rivalry. The X-37B mission, overseen by the US Space Force within the National Security Space Launch program, remains shrouded in secrecy, with scant details disclosed.
Resembling a miniature space shuttle and roughly the size of a small bus, the Boeing-manufactured X-37B is designed for deploying payloads and conducting technology experiments during extended orbital flights. After completion, the craft re-enters Earth's atmosphere, landing akin to an airplane on a runway.
Having undertaken six previous missions since 2010, this recent launch aboard SpaceX's more potent Falcon Heavy rocket opens the possibility of pushing payloads like the X-37B further into space, potentially reaching geosynchronous orbit, over 22,000 miles above Earth. This contrasts with its previous low-Earth orbit flights, confined below 1,200 miles.
The Pentagon has remained tight-lipped regarding the precise altitude for this mission, citing plans for testing "new orbital regimes" and experimenting with advanced space domain awareness technologies, leaving analysts speculating about potential highly elliptical orbits or trajectories closer to the moon.
Experts, including Bob Hall from COMSPOC, ponder the prospect of the spaceplane heading towards the moon to release a payload, though the challenges of returning safely to Earth increase with proximity to the lunar region.
While there's no official confirmation on the craft's intended initial orbit post-launch, SpaceX confirmed the successful separation of the X-37B payload from the rocket's center core shortly after liftoff.
Notably, alongside its primary experiments, the X-37B carries a NASA initiative studying the effects of prolonged radiation exposure on plant seeds in space. This research holds significance for future missions to sustain astronauts during extended voyages to celestial bodies like the moon and Mars.
The launch of China's Shenlong around the same time as the X-37B has sparked interest, despite the former's reliance on a less powerful Long March 2F rocket, primarily limited to low-Earth orbit payloads. General B Chance Saltzman of the Space Force hinted at competitive timing between the two missions, acknowledging the high visibility and scrutiny both receive in orbit.
Although the duration of this X-37B mission remains undisclosed, previous trends suggest a timeframe potentially extending beyond June 2026, aligning with the craft's progressively lengthening missions. Its prior mission endured well over two years in orbit before its November 2022 landing.
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