SpaceX's Enigmatic Falcon Heavy Rocket: Set to Deploy a Mysterious Military Spacecraft
SpaceX's mighty Falcon Heavy rocket is set to soar once again, carrying a top-secret military space plane for innovative research This powerful launch not only showcases space technology advancements but also highlights the US's commitment to outpace China's space endeavors
SpaceX's massive Falcon Heavy rocket is set to launch on Thursday evening, this time carrying a secretive spacecraft for the US military to conduct advanced research. The uncrewed and autonomous X-37B space plane will reach unprecedented altitudes when it lifts off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:07 p.m. ET. Viewers can watch the launch live on SpaceX's website.
The destination of the space plane remains unknown, sparking fascination and speculation in the space community. Amateur enthusiasts are eagerly tracking its movements and developing theories about its activities.
The X-37B, with its blacked-out windows, resembles a miniature NASA space shuttle. It is fully autonomous and reusable, and has been involved in research on various concepts, such as relaying solar energy from space to Earth and studying the effects of radiation on seeds used for food production. This seventh mission to space for the X-37B promises to be even more intriguing than its previous flights.
The X-37B orbital test vehicle concludes its sixth successful mission in 2022.
Staff Sgt. Adam Shanks/US Space Force
A powerful ride
The upcoming launch will be the first time the space plane will be carried by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, one of the most powerful rockets currently in operation. In the past, the X-37B has been launched using the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the Atlas V rocket, which is built by United Launch Alliance, a partnership between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
The Falcon Heavy produces more thrust than both of those rockets combined.
The Lucy spacecraft, carried by a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, was launched from Pad-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on October 16, 2021. The mission is to study the Trojan asteroids in the outer solar system. (Photo credit: Thom Baur/Reuters)
In 2023, the science and exploration missions appeared to be straight out of a science fiction story. The Falcon Heavy launch hinted at the possibility of X-37B reaching more remote orbits, such as those around the moon or Mars, according to Paul Graziani, CEO of COMSPOC, a company specializing in space object tracking.
If the X-37B travels deeper into the cosmos than before, it could become increasingly challenging for sky-gazers on Earth to locate the vehicle. According to Graziani, if the military wishes to conceal the X-37B, it can utilize tactics such as hiding it in the glare of the sun or frequently changing its position. Previous flights have demonstrated the X-37B's ability to perform multiple maneuvers in space.
COMSPOC will make an effort to locate the vehicle if the spacecraft ends up in geosynchronous orbit, which is approximately 22,400 miles (36,000 kilometers) from Earth and is the operating location for most large communications satellites. Graziani and Bob Hall, COMSPOC's director of operations integration, stated that geosynchronous orbit is where the company concentrates its sensors for satellite tracking.
"Whatever it's going to do, I think it's one of the most interesting things that's happened in space in a long time," Graziani said of the X-37B launch.
The X-37B enables the United States to conduct experiments aimed at enhancing current and future space missions and challenging the limits of what is achievable, said Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, head of space operations.
The mission includes NASA's Seeds-2 experiment, which seeks to develop methods for sustaining astronauts on future deep-space missions by exposing plant seeds to long-duration spaceflight radiation. This builds on previous X-37B mission research. Cultivating food in the challenging, soilless environment of outer space could be essential for astronauts on extended missions to the moon or beyond, where delivering fresh supplies is more challenging.
The CASSIOPeiA solar power satellite, designed in the UK, is depicted in the illustration. Space-based solar power entails capturing sunlight from Earth orbit and transmitting it down to the surface where it is required.
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The duration of the spacecraft's orbit for this mission is currently unknown, but previous flights of the X-37B have been progressively longer. The most recent autonomous X-37B mission ended in November 2022 with the spacecraft spending nearly 909 days in space. CNN previously reported that during this sixth mission, the space plane carried experimental technology developed by the US Navy to harness solar energy and transmit it to the ground.
The X-37B has already completed over 3,700 days in space on previous uncrewed missions. Upon its return to Earth, it will touch down on a runway, resembling the descent of an airplane from the sky. This poses a challenge to China.
Following over two weeks of delays, SpaceX was scheduled to launch on December 10, but was pushed off twice due to weather and ground pad issues. The mission was then abruptly delayed indefinitely for additional system checkouts. During this time, China, considered the chief competitor by the US government in the modern space race, launched its own secretive spacecraft into orbit.
Not much is known about China's spacecraft. Some in the industry speculate that it may resemble and function like the X-37B, but no official photos have been released. The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the secretive spacecraft was launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket.
The agency's post stated that the vehicle will test reusable space technology and conduct unspecified science experiments for peaceful space use during its time in space. The duration of China's space plane's orbit remains unclear.
