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How to Watch SpaceX Launch Space Force’s Spaceplane for the First Time

Dec 08, 2023 - gizmodo.com
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is set to launch the Pentagon's spaceplane to low Earth orbit for the first time, marking the seventh mission for the spacecraft. The launch, scheduled for 8:15 p.m ET on Sunday, December 10 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aims to expand the Space Force's understanding of the space environment and test new technologies. The mission will deliver the X-37B spaceplane, a reusable, uncrewed Boeing-built spaceplane capable of atmospheric reentry and landing on traditional runways.

The X-37B will operate in new orbital alignments and carry a NASA experiment named Seeds-2, which will expose plant seeds to the harsh radiation environment of long-duration spaceflight. The previous mission of the spaceplane, launched in May 2020, spent a record 908 days in orbit. This upcoming mission is SpaceX’s 92nd for the year 2023, moving closer to CEO Elon Musk’s target of 100 launches within the year.

Key takeaways:

  • A SpaceX Falcon Heavy will attempt to deliver the Pentagon’s spaceplane to low Earth orbit for the first time.
  • The mission will expand the Space Force’s knowledge of the space environment and test new technologies.
  • The USSF-52 mission will deliver the X-37B spaceplane, a project evolved from the earlier X-37A model developed by NASA in the late 1990s.
  • This upcoming mission marks SpaceX’s 92nd for the year 2023, inching closer to CEO Elon Musk’s ambitious target of 100 launches within the year.
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