Secretive X-37B Robot Space Plane Was Launched By US Military

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 29-12-2023

Secretive X-37B Robot Space Plane Was Launched By US Military

Science and Technology 4 min read

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket blasted into space night to ferry the US military’s secretive X-37B plane to a research mission. The rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SpaceX teams were again preparing to launch the military's top-secret X-37B robot spaceplane on its seventh mission. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled to launch at night from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida's Atlantic coast.

About X -37B

The X-37B is a Boeing vehicle resembling a small space shuttle.
The US Space Force's secretive X-37B robot space plane was launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
Its seventh mission is being launched on the Falcon Heavy for the first time.
The launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Centre was delayed, but it went ahead following a successful countdown.
The Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket launched in a spectacular display of fire and smoke.

Significance of X -37B

The X-37B mission serves as further evidence of the increasing strategic significance of space in both technological innovation and national defence.
Its ability to reach higher orbits and potentially venture near the moon constitutes a huge jump in capability, especially in light of the US-China rivalry.
This mission can open the path for new space-based surveillance, communication and other classified operations.

Falcon Heavy rocket of SpaceX

SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, manufactures the Falcon Heavy rocket.
SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying 24 experimental satellites on reusable rockets.
SpaceX originally demonstrated the 230-foot-tall Falcon Heavy in February 2018.
It is considered the world's most powerful performing rocket.
Its headquarters are in Hawthorne, California (United States of America).

Specifications of Falcon Heavy rocket of SpaceX

It can lift more than twice as much as the Delta IV Heavy, the closest operational vehicle.
At full power, Falcon Heavy's 27 Merlin engines provide more than five million pounds of thrust at lift-off, equivalent to approximately eighteen 747 aircraft.
It can hoist around 64 metric tonnes into orbit.
The rocket can launch the equivalent of a fully loaded 737 aircraft into orbit, replete with passengers, luggage, and fuel.