SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is ready to launch a secret mission for the United States Armed Forces

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket is set for a new launch this Thursday. From NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 8:07 p.m. local time, it will take off on a mission for the United States Air Force and Space Force. Your weight will be on this occasion X-37B space plane An unmanned and autonomous vehicle of the United States Armed Forces that will be taken to unprecedented heights. Although the specific destination of the space plane has not been disclosed, the event will be broadcast live via the SpaceX website, as confirmed by the media forbes And cnn,

Often shrouded in mystery and speculation, the X-37B has attracted attention from the space community for its maneuvers outside the public domain. Comparable to NASA’s miniature Space Shuttle and characterized by its autonomy and reusability, the Includes experiments with. Radiation.

This flight marks the seventh space mission of the X-37B and promises important contributions to military and aerospace research. In this mission, interest is focused on the potential applications of its unknown cargo and the information it will collect during its stay in space.

The Dec. 28 launch represents a first for Martin and Boeing. The capability of the Falcon Heavy, which produces more thrust than the Falcon 9 and Atlas V, explains The X-37B could go to more distant orbits, possibly toward the Moon or Mars.

Paul Graziani, CEO of COMSPOC, a company that specializes in tracking space objects, indicated when asked cnn If the spacecraft moves further into space, it will become increasingly difficult for celestial observers to track its location. Additionally, if military forces prefer to keep the trajectory of the .

According to Graziani, the launch of the X-37B is “one of the most interesting events to happen in space in a long time, no matter what it’s going to do.” COMSPOC will attempt to detect if the

Current missions include A NASA experiment called SEEDS-2, which is looking for ways to retain astronauts on upcoming deep space missions. Although the duration of this mission has not been defined, it is expected to exceed previous missions in time. The X-37B has already spent more than 3,700 days in space on unmanned missions and is designed to land like an airplane upon returning to Earth.

The relevance of the SEEDS-2 experiment lies in examining plant seeds exposed to space radiation with the aim of developing methods for growing food in soil-less environments. This is important for supporting the lives of astronauts on long missions, such as to the Moon or beyond, where fresh supplies are difficult to come by.

On its previous mission, concluded in November 2022, the X-37B remained close to 909 days Continuous flights into space, which were a milestone for aircraft of this type. During that flight, it carried experimental US Navy technologies designed to convert solar energy and transmit it back to Earth.

The current mission was announced by Chief of Space Operations General B. Supplemented by statements from Chance Saltzman, who highlighted the importance of what is possible in terms of space technology, was published Fox Weather. Following the trend of keeping certain aspects of these missions confidential, the exact date of the ship’s return to Earth has not been disclosed.