1Berita – The classified US space robot X-37B, launched from Florida on its seventh mission to outer space, marks the first launch using SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket. The rocket, composed of three liquid-fueled cores bound together, took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday night, according to Reuters (December 29, 2023).
The launch occurred two weeks after a launch error and delays due to unexpected weather and technical issues. Ground crews returned the spacecraft to its hangar before resuming the process on the night of December 28.
This event follows the launch of China’s space robot, Shenlong, two weeks ago, marking the third mission to outer space since 2020. It adds a new chapter to the increasing competition between Washington and Beijing in space.
The X-37B space robot, shrouded in secrecy, is only disclosed by the Pentagon with minimal mission details. Operated by the US Space Force under the military program National Security Space Launch, the Boeing-made spacecraft is estimated to be the size of a small bus, resembling a miniature space shuttle. It is designed for deploying various payloads and conducting technology experiments during long-term orbital flights.
At the end of its mission, the space robot will re-enter the atmosphere and land on a runway like an aircraft. Having undergone six previous missions since 2010, the first five using the Atlas V rocket from the United Launch Alliance and the sixth using SpaceX’s Falcon 9, this latest mission on December 28 marked the first launch with the more powerful Falcon Heavy, capable of carrying heavier payloads farther into space than before.
It is speculated that the Falcon Heavy could carry the X-37B to geosynchronous orbit, which is more than 35,000 kilometers above Earth’s surface. Previously, the X-37B, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, operated in low Earth orbit at altitudes below 2,000 kilometers.
The Pentagon did not disclose the specific altitude for this launch, but in a statement last month, the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office mentioned that mission number 7 would involve testing “new orbit regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies.”
Such comments have led analysts and amateur space trackers to speculate that the X-37B might head towards highly elliptical orbits around Earth or even trajectories that could swing it around the Moon, a space region of significant interest to the Pentagon.
There is no official statement from the US regarding whether the X-37B successfully reached orbit after the launch. The duration of the latest mission has not been announced to the public, but it is estimated to extend until June 2026 or beyond, given the pattern of consecutive longer flights.
In its last mission, the X-37B remained in orbit for over two years before landing on Earth in November 2022.
