US EditionSpace Force Launches X-37B Carrying Quantum and Comms Experiments
The Boeing-built X-37B will test a new sensor to improve GPS contact in difficult communication areas during its eighth mission, having spent over 4,200 days in orbit previously.
- The U.S. Space Force launched the Boeing-built X-37B space plane on August 21 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
- This eighth mission, USSF-36 or OTV-8, follows the vehicle's prior flights since 2010 and aims to test critical deep space technologies.
- The mission focuses on demonstrating a quantum inertial sensor that enables GPS-free navigation and an advanced laser communications system for heavier, more secure data transfers.
- The Falcon 9 first stage returned to Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone 2, producing a sonic boom heard across Brevard County, while the mission duration remains undisclosed.
- This launch contributes to a broader Space Force effort to enhance orbital system resilience and expand space domain capabilities amid a busy upcoming launch schedule.
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US Military's secretive X-37B space plane lifts off on classified mission aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket
A U.S. military mini shuttle was launched Thursday night to conduct classified experiments in space. The uncrewed space plane, known as the X-37B, took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX rocket. This is the eighth flight for the X-37B. According to the U.S. Space Force, this mission will test laser communications and safe navigation without GPS. It is currently unknown how long the mini shuttle will remain in orbit. The last X-37B mis…
Elon Musk's SpaceX launches secretive US military drone
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted into space on Thursday night carrying the US military’s secretive X-37B drone. The rocket successfully launched at 23:50 (local time), according to SpaceX’s livestream of the event. Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/oQFgBJqWg3— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 22, 2025 The Falcon 9 lit up the night sky over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where it was launched from. The US Space Force has said the drone’s mission will include “a wid…
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