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SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket will launch tonight, Dec. 11, carrying the U.S. Space Force's mysterious X-37B spaceplane. The spectacular launch was postponed by a day due to weather conditions.
The launch is scheduled to take place at 8:14 p.m. ET (12 a.m. GMT on December 12) at NASA Space Center 39A, which will have a 10-minute launch window. If all goes well, SpaceX will broadcast the launch live via webcast.
"The Falcon Heavy USSF-52 mission is expected to launch on Monday, December 11, and the weather conditions will be 70% favorable for Monday night's launch," SpaceX wrote on social media. "The team will use this time to complete additional pre-launch checks. ”
The launch will be the seventh launch of the reusable X-37B spaceplane and its first flight on a Falcon Heavy rocket. This launch could have a significant impact on the upcoming orbital mission.
So far, five of the six X-37B launches have been on the United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket, and the other has been on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon Heavy, on the other hand, is known for the first stage of its three Falcon 9 boosters, outperforming the other two rockets in launching objects into orbit. According to recent releases from the Space Force, some of the goals of the upcoming X-37B mission, known as OTV-7, the "Orbital Test Rover-7," include "operating in a new orbital area," which may mean orbiting higher and farther away from Earth.
The launch vehicle for this upgrade may be related to mass. The X-37B has a cargo compartment to carry equipment and experiments, possibly carrying a secondary mission payload that requires the Falcon Heavy to increase its lifting capabilities.
Although the details of the X-37B mission are mostly classified, the USSF-52 carries at least one unclassified experiment: NASA's "Seeds-2" project, which will test the effects of radiation and prolonged space flight on plant seeds.
Each X-37B mission lasted longer than the previous one, with the most recent orbital flight reaching 908 days. The mission, called OTV-6, ended in November 2022.
When the Falcon Heavy launches tonight, it will be the rocket's ninth mission. At the same time, this will also be the fifth flight of the side boosters supporting this special mission;This side booster recently issued a **NASA Psyche detector in October of this year.