A not-so-secret, yet highly advanced reusable spaceplane, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, operated by the United States Space Force, is set to embark on its eighth mission on Thursday, August 21. The launch will take place from the renowned Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Although specific details regarding the mission's duration and precise launch time remain undisclosed, a Federal Aviation Administration advisory has indicated that the launch window is scheduled between 11:40 p.m. ET on Thursday and 5:11 a.m. ET on Friday.
Built by Boeing, the X-37B is an uncrewed, autonomous spacecraft designed for the U.S. military to test cutting-edge technologies and conduct various experiments in both high and low Earth orbits. While the spaceplane has gained significant public attention, many of its specific activities remain classified by the Space Force, which typically announces the spacecraft's return to Earth only after it has occurred.
Resembling a smaller version of the now-retired space shuttle, the X-37B requires assistance to reach orbit. For its upcoming mission, it will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, securely housed within the rocket's fairing—a protective enclosure made from carbon composite materials that safeguard the spacecraft during its ascent.
The X-37B is equipped to remain in space for extended periods, with past missions averaging between 12 to 24 months. The spacecraft returns to Earth in a manner similar to an airplane, gliding to a safe landing at designated sites on either the East or West Coast. Since its inaugural launch in 2010, the Space Force reports that the X-37B has accumulated over 4,200 days of operational time across its previous seven missions. To date, the spacecraft has traveled more than 1.3 billion miles in orbit, with its record-long mission lasting an impressive 908 days, according to Boeing.
While the Space Force remains tight-lipped about the specific activities of the X-37B, they have confirmed that this eighth mission will focus on pioneering demonstrations of high-bandwidth inter-satellite laser communications technologies, along with enhanced space navigation utilizing the most advanced quantum inertial sensor in space. The military is particularly interested in laser communications for their increased security compared to traditional radio frequencies and their ability to transmit larger volumes of data.
The quantum sensor demonstrations will illustrate the X-37B's capability to navigate without reliance on satellite networks such as GPS. Instead of conventional accelerometers and gyroscopes, the quantum sensor measures rotation and acceleration at the atomic level, offering a new frontier in navigation technology.
In a press release, the Space Force emphasized that these experiments form part of a more extensive initiative aimed at bolstering the safety and security of the space domain. This initiative seeks to enhance the resilience and flexibility of U.S. orbital systems. General Chance Saltzman, the chief of space operations for the Space Force, stated on the social media platform X, “This mission is about more than innovation. It’s about making our Joint Force more connected, more resilient, and ready to operate in the face of any challenge. That’s how America’s Space Force secures our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space.”
