The launch schedule for the United States Space Force’s mysterious X37B spaceplane has been postponed. The mission, named USSF52, was scheduled to take place on December 7th but has now been postponed to December 10th. The X37B will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
According to a Space Force statement, the date change was due to changes in launch schedules and availability at Launch Complex39A (LC39A).
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In an email sent to Space.com, Brigadier General Kristin Panzenhagen of Space Launch Delta 45 said, “We are working closely with our launch providers and the entire team is focused on executing a successful mission.”
- This will be the first time the reusable spaceplane will be launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket, impacting its secret mission;
- The five previous X37B missions were carried out on United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rockets, the last of which was launched on a Falcon 9;
- During its final mission, the X37B spent 908 days in orbit and returned to Earth on November 12, 2022, landing on the Kennedy Space Center runway previously used for space shuttle landings;
- The Falcon Heavy is capable of carrying heavier payloads to higher orbits than the Atlas V and Falcon 9, allowing the X37B to fly further into space than ever before.
USSF52 mission objectives
While little is known about the operational capabilities of the spacecraft, some of the goals of the USSF52 mission include operating the X37B in new orbital regimes and conducting experiments with space domain awareness technologies. One such experiment involves testing the effects of longterm radiation from space on plant seeds.
This is the first time the X37B will bear the Space Force logo, and before launch the spacecraft was encapsulated with one of its payload fairings.
While this is the first time the Falcon Heavy has been used to launch the to start.
The side engines that will launch with USSF52 have flown four previous missions, including two Space Force launches in November 2022 and January 2023.