On December 29, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon Heavy rocket. It put the X-37B spaceplane into orbit.
Spaceplane
The X-37B was developed by Boeing at the request of the American Air Force. It has a length of 8.9 m, a height of 2.9 m, and a wingspan of 4.5 m. The spacecraft is launched into orbit using a rocket, and when returning to Earth, it lands like an airplane. The take-off weight of the spaceplane is 5 tons, and it is equipped with a cargo compartment that can accommodate up to 900 kg of payload.
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In total, two such vehicles have been built, which have completed six long-term space flights since 2010. The last one began on May 17, 2020, and ended on November 12, 2022, lasting a total of 908 days.
For the first decade, the Pentagon kept almost everything related to the X-37B a secret. But in recent years, this approach has changed significantly, and the military has begun to share details of the tasks performed by the once-secret spaceplane.
According to a statement from the US Space Force, a wide range of tests will be conducted as part of the upcoming flight. These include the operation of the X-37B in new orbital modes, experiments with space control technologies, as well as studies of radiation effects on materials and plant seeds provided by NASA.
Launch of X-37B
This was the first time a Falcon Heavy was used to launch the X-37B. Prior to that, Atlas V or Falcon 9 rockets were used for such missions. Initially, the seventh X-37B mission was supposed to begin on December 10, but the launch was postponed several times due to problems with the rocket and bad weather.
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The launch took place in normal mode. Two Falcon Heavy side boosters returned to the spaceport, the central stage was used in a one-time configuration. The parameters of the orbit that the X-37B is placed in are kept secret. But according to satellite spotters, it has a large inclination.
Earlier, we talked about how China launched its X-37B counterpart.
According to https://spacenews.com
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