US military's secretive X-37B robot spaceplane launched atop SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket | 5 key facts to know
the successful liftoff, SpaceX tweeted, "Falcon Heavy launches USSF-52 to orbit from Florida." According to AFP, the US released little information about the space drone and its mission, which was initially scheduled for December 7. Meanwhile, SpaceX only cited the Pentagon's mission code name -- USSF-52 -- in its statement on the launch. The X-37B US space drone is about the size of a small bus and resembles a miniature space shuttle.
It looks like a mini version of the manned space shuttles retired in 2011. On previous missions, the X-37B carried out tests for the NASA on the impact of radiation on seeds and other materials, AFP reported. In operation since 2010, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle was designed for the Air Force by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
It is 30 feet (nine meters) long, has a 15-foot wingspan and is powered by solar panels. No astronauts are needed, the X-37B has an autonomous landing system. The X-37B mission is being conducted by the US Space Force under the military's National Security Space Launch program.
Built by Boeing, the vehicle is expected to deploy various payloads and conduct technology experiments on years-long orbital flights. At the end of its mission, the craft descends back through the atmosphere to land on a runway much like an airplane, Reuters reported. Earlier, the Pentagon had said the X-37B's seventh mission would entail "multiple cutting-edge experiments".
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