SpaceX aiming for night launch of Falcon Heavy rocket with X-37B spacecraft

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X-37B nears its seventh mission

FILE PHOTO

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – After several delays, SpaceX announced that it is targeting Thursday evening for its Falcon Heavy rocket launch and the seventh mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.

According to the space agency, the launch is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

If needed, a backup opportunity is available at 8:06 p.m. on Friday.

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Though designated a top-secret mission, launch operators have made statements concerning some of the X-37B mission. The uncrewed, solar-powered, Boeing-built reusable vessel will be used for testing, such as operating the spaceplane in varying orbits, investigating the effects of radiation on different materials and “experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies,” according to a news release.

“We are excited to expand the envelope of the reusable X-37B’s capabilities, using the flight-proven service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to fly multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners,” Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, X-37B program director, said earlier in a statement.

SpaceX said it will be the fifth launch and landing of these Falcon Heavy side boosters, which previously supported USSF-44, USSF-67, Hughes JUPTER 3, and NASA’s Psyche mission.

Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters are scheduled to land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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Jacob Langston

Jacob joined ClickOrlando.com in 2022. He spent 19 years at the Orlando Sentinel, mostly as a photojournalist and video journalist, before joining Spectrum News 13 as a web editor and digital journalist in 2021.