The U.S. military’s X-37B robot space plane blasted off on another secretive mission Thursday night, Dec. 28, this time with the help of SpaceX. The plane, resembling a mini space shuttle, has no crew on board and carries classified experiments.
This was the first time the plane was launched atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The highly anticipated launch that was originally set for Dec. 10, follows weeks of delays due to weather and other technical issues that were not fully disclosed. While waiting for the green light, China launched a spacecraft of its own.
Not much is known about the secretive air craft that China launched, media outlets report that experts believe it is similar to the X-37B in function. China’s launch, just weeks before the X-37B’s launch marks the latest leg in the competitive space race between the U.S. and China.
Where the U.S. space plane is headed for in its seventh mission is anyone’s guess. The U.S. Space Force disclosed few details, but since the plane was launched by SpaceX’s powerful rocket, experts suggest X-37B could be heading for distant orbits, like the Moon or Mars.
We know one test the plane is carrying, a NASA experiment to study how plant seeds are affected by the radiation in space, but other than that, the goals of the military’s space plane remain a mystery. When the space plane returns to Earth, the X-37B will reenter the atmosphere and land on a runway like a commercial airplane.