The US Space Force will bid the summer farewell by once again launching its (not-so-secret) secret space plane, the X-37B. According to a July 28 announcement, the Boeing-manufactured orbital test vehicle is scheduled to embark on its eighth mission (OTV-8) from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on August 21. After hitching a ride aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the X-37B will orbit high above Earth while facilitating multiple payload experiments. Its exact altitude capabilities are unknown, but previous estimates put it at around 250 miles above the planet.
The Space Force described the X-37B as a “dynamic and responsive spacecraft responsible for conducting a range of tests and experiments that expedite the development of critical next-generation technologies and operational concepts for reusable space capabilities.” In civilian terms, this means the X-37B hosts an array of both classified and unclassified payloads intended to bolster US defense capabilities, among other objectives.
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