Watch SpaceX launch US Space Force's classified X-37B space plane today

News
By published

Launch of secretive spacecraft will be streamed live Thursday night.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Mar. 7
The U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane is seen before being encapsulated inside its payload fairing ahead of one of its launches. (Image credit: US Space Force)

In the dark of night, SpaceX will launch the mysterious X-37B space plane for the U.S. Space Force (USSF).

A Falcon 9 rocket will launch the mission, USSF-36, from Pad 39A, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, carrying the Boeing-built X-37B on the orbital transfer vehicle's eighth flight (OTV-8). Launch is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21, at 11:50 p.m. EDT (0350 GMT, Aug. 22).

It is the sixth flight for the Falcon 9 booster supporting the USSF-36 launch, B1092, which previously launched NROL-69, CRS-32, GPS III-7, and Starlink groups 12-13 and 10-34. The booster is expected to return to the Space Coast for recovery at SpaceX's Landing Zone-2, located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a few miles downrange from the launchpad.

A space plane stands up on its end.

Another look at the X-37B, which is about 29 feet (8.8 meters) long. (Image credit: US Space Force)

OTV-8 will focus X-37B's mission on two primary technology demonstrations: a laser communications system and a quantum inertial sensor to test a new type of in-space positioning system, like GPS, according to a July 28 statement Space Force statement.

These technologies represent major advancements in their respective fields. Laser communications capable of supporting heavier data loads and tougher security safeguards, compared to traditional radio.

And, instead of traditional GPS, X-37B's quantum sensor will measure the inertia of nearby atoms to help inform the space plane's navigational position on orbit, without reliance on existing satellite infrastructure.

Josh Dinner
Josh Dinner
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Josh Dinner is the Staff Writer for Spaceflight at Space.com. He is a writer and photographer with a passion for science and space exploration, and has been working the space beat since 2016. Josh has covered the evolution of NASA's commercial spaceflight partnerships and crewed missions from the Space Coast, as well as NASA science missions and more. He also enjoys building 1:144-scale model rockets and human-flown spacecraft. Find some of Josh's launch photography on Instagram and his website, and follow him on X, where he mostly posts in haiku.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.