
On December 28, 2023, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane into orbit for its seventh mission
The launch took place at 8:07 PM EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The X-37B is a robotic, reusable spaceplane. This was the first time the X-37B was launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket, which is capable of delivering it into a higher orbit than ever before.
The Falcon Heavy has the second highest lift capability of any operational rocket. It can carry a payload of 140,700 lb to low Earth orbit, 58,900 lb to Geostationary Transfer Orbit, and 37,000 lb to trans-Mars injection
The X-37B is a reusable spaceplane that’s operated by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the United States Space Force. The X-37B is a 120% scaled version of the Boeing X-40
The X-37B is designed to demonstrate reusable space technologies and deploy payloads and conduct technology experiments on years-long orbital flights. The X-37B is also designed to return to Earth and land on a runway, similar to NASA’s space shuttles.
The X-37B is about 29 feet long and has a 15-foot wingspan. It’s powered by solar panels.
The X-37B’s first mission was in 2010, and it has since logged 3,774 days in orbit over six flights. The X-37B’s most recent mission was in May 2020
The Boeing-built vehicle, roughly the size of a small bus and resembling a miniature space shuttle, is built to deploy various payloads and conduct technology experiments on years-long orbital flights. At the end of its mission, the craft descends back through the atmosphere to land on a runway much like an airplane
The X-37B spaceplane completed its longest mission yet in 2022, spending 908 days in orbit. The X-37B landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Station in November 2022.
The X-37B’s last mission was its sixth, and it spent a total of 3,774 days in space over the course of its first six missions. The X-37B has been in orbit for more than 10 years since its first mission in 2010
The X-37B is part of the U.S. military’s top secret program. The X-37B is also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV).
The X-37B is a reusable robotic spacecraft that’s been in operation since 2010. It’s designed for the Air Force by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The X-37B is also known as a mini space shuttle. It’s about one-fourth the size of NASA’s retired space shuttles, at 29 feet long. The X-37B has an autonomous landing system and doesn’t require astronauts.
The X-37B’s seventh mission launched on December 28, 2023, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The X-37B’s mission is expected to last at least a couple of years. Like previous missions, the X-37B is carrying classified experiments
The X-37B is a military version of the space shuttle. The X-37B is a quarter of the size of NASA’s retired space shuttles, and is uncrewed. The X-37B has an autonomous landing system and doesn’t require astronauts
The X-37 program began at NASA in 1999, but by 2004 the vehicle and its activities were under the control of DARPA. The X-37B’s first flight was in 2006.
The Space Force operates 77 spacecraft, including X-37B spaceplanes
Role of X-37B spaceplane in current missionThe X-37B mission is being conducted by the US Space Force under the military’s National Security Space Launch program. Built by Boeing, the vehicle is expected to deploy various payloads and conduct technology experiments on years-long orbital flights
Yes, the Space Force’s X-37B robotic space plane is designed to return to Earth and land on a runway
The X-37B is a mini space plane, about 29 feet long, built by Boeing. It’s similar to NASA’s space shuttles, but is one-fourth the size. The X-37B is unmanned and has an autonomous landing system. It carries various experiments and has a payload bay that’s about 7 feet by 4 feet
The X-37B’s first mission was in 2010 and its most recent was in May 2020. The X-37B has spent 3,774 days in orbit over six flights. Its last mission lasted for more than two years before landing in November 2022. The planned duration of the latest X-37B mission hasn’t been made public, but it’s expected to last until June 2026 or later
On December 28, 2023, the US Space Force’s X-37B space plane launched into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. This was the first time the X-37B was launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket
The Falcon Heavy is a powerful launch vehicle that can send the X-37B into higher orbits than previous flights. The X-37B’s seventh mission is expected to last at least a couple of years.
The X-37B is used for classified missions that test new technologies and conduct experiments in orbit. The X-37B’s primary objectives are to demonstrate reusable spacecraft technologies and operate experiments that can be returned to Earth for examination
The X-37B’s missions include:
- Testing space domain awareness technologies
- Operations in new orbital regimes
- Radiation effects on NASA materials
- Studying how plant seeds are affected by prolonged exposure to radiation in space
The X-37B can land at one of three sites in the United States:
- Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center
- Vandenberg Space Force Base
- Edwards Air Force Base
To return to Kennedy Space Center, the X-37B is placed in a payload canister and loaded into a Boeing C-17 cargo plane.
All X-37B missions to date have launched from Florida’s Space Coast, either Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
No, the X-37B is not intended to carry humans. The X-37B is designed to take off vertically like a rocket and land horizontally like a plane. It’s designed to orbit between 150 and 500 miles high
The X-37B is boosted into space by a launch vehicle. The X-37B’s designers originally planned for the shuttle to carry the space plane to orbit, but decided that launching the X-37B on a rocket would be more economical. The X-37B has been launched into orbit on two different boosters: United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V and SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
Rockets launch into space by burning propellants and pushing out exhaust. This creates an upward force called thrust. To launch, the rocket needs enough propellants so that the thrust pushing the rocket up is greater than the force of gravity pulling the rocket down
(Full article source google)
https://0783fqbq-0rrkxlfx7pepbls6l.hop.clickbank.net
Nice Post.
LikeLike
Next step: thunderfighters. Take off and land like regular airplanes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes in future it’s possible as we have seen in science fiction movies and science fiction has become reality like smartphones 🙏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exciting
LikeLiked by 1 person
We will become interstellar species in future it’s so exciting now man missions to mars and moon 🌚
LikeLiked by 1 person
My best friend and I debate about how a colony of humans is going to survive on Mars. She follows a school of thought that (we) being human, will take all the things that make us human with us. Good and bad. I say we will be so consumed with just trying to survive that no one will have time to give into the darker side of human nature. I guess time will tell.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person