Private space company SpaceX has launched a mysterious US military drone into space on a research mission. After weeks of delay, the Falcon Heavy rocket with the X-37B space drone was launched into space on Thursday night (Friday, 2:07 am CET) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in the state of Florida.
SpaceX showed the launch live on its website without mentioning the drone. Little is known about the U.S. Air Force's reusable, autonomous spacecraft. It was also unclear where exactly he was flying on his seventh mission.
Before the launch, initially scheduled for December 7, the US Department of Defense had only announced that the mission included “several innovative experiments”. These included, among other things, “operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbits.” The effects of space radiation on various materials would also be examined.
The solar-powered X-37B orbital test vehicle was developed for the U.S. Air Force by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. It's about the size of a minibus and looks like a miniature version of NASA's space shuttles, which were decommissioned in 2011. In previous missions, the X-37B performed tests for NASA on the effects of radiation on seeds and other materials. .
On December 14, China also launched its own space drone, called Shenlong, into orbit. According to state news agency Xinhua, Shenron was supposed to conduct experiments “to provide technical support for the peaceful use of outer space.” Xinhua was only vague about the duration of the mission.