The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket was launched at night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
The launch countdown and ignition lasted 10 minutes, starting at 8:07 PM EST (1:07 AM GMT).
This launch occurred more than two weeks after a previous launch attempt faced issues and was halted. Previously, NASA had to cancel three launches due to bad weather and unspecified technical problems.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy on Launch Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center before the USSF-52 mission. (Photo: SpaceX).
The U.S. Department of Defense announced that the new mission of the X-37B spaceplane is part of the National Security Space Launch program by the U.S. Space Force.
The X-37B spaceplane, built by Boeing, is roughly the size of a small bus and resembles a miniature space shuttle, capable of conducting long-term technology experiments. Upon mission completion, the spacecraft re-enters the atmosphere and lands on a runway like a conventional airplane.
Of the six missions conducted by this X-37B since 2010, the first five missions were launched into orbit using the Atlas V rocket, produced by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing (BA.N) and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N).
The most recent mission, in May 2020, was launched using a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
This mission marks the first launch using the more powerful Falcon Heavy rocket produced by SpaceX, capable of carrying heavier payloads than the X-37B and further into space, potentially reaching orbits more than 22,000 miles (35,000 km) from Earth.
According to Reuters, the expected operational duration of the X-37B mission has not been officially announced but is expected to last until June 2026 or later.
Two weeks ago, China also launched a reusable spaceplane known as Shenlong, or “Divine Dragon”, marking another milestone in the increasingly fierce space race between the U.S. and China.
