X-37B spaceplane launched atop SpaceX Falcon Heavy

The U.S. Space Force’s robot spaceplane – the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle – lifted off on its seventh mission Thursday night, December 28, 2023, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It rode to its highest orbit yet aboard a powerful SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying an unspecified cargo of experimental equipment.

The mission will likely be a long one, as the spaceplane’s previous flight lasted 18 months.

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‘Secretive’ mission includes seed experiments

The Space Force is so tight-lipped about how it uses its spaceplane – which resembles a one-quarter size Space Shuttle orbiter – the British news agency Reuters and other outlets have taken to calling it the “secretive X-37B.”

Yet the X-37B Mission 7 is mostly concerned with making space travel safe and practical for everyone, according to the Space Force:

The X-37B Mission 7 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, designated USSF-52, with a wide range of test and experimentation objectives. These tests include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA.

For the second time, the X-37B will carry a cargo of plant seeds into space to see how they’ll react when grown back on Earth. NASA says the aim of Seeds-2 is to keep future Martians fed and happy:

With the renewed goal of manned Mars exploration, continuous fresh food production during long duration deep space missions can be a critical addition to the processed food system to meet astronauts’ nutritional requirements and to provide potential psychological benefits for crew in the isolation and confinement of deep space.

Space Force says it will also be testing new sensing technology.

X-37B Mission 7, also known as OTV-7, will expand the United States Space Force’s knowledge of the space environment by experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies. These tests are integral in ensuring safe, stable, and secure operations in space for all users of the domain.

The US-China spaceplane rivalry

Originally intended for launch on December 7, X-37B Mission 7 was delayed three times before finally getting off the ground. If it had flown as first scheduled, it would have beaten China’s spaceplane into orbit on its latest mission, which launched on December 14, 2023.

Also a reusable, glide-to-landing spacecraft, the Chinese spaceplane Shenlong – Chinese for “divine dragon” – began its latest mission on December 14, lifting off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Mongolia, atop a Long March 2F rocket. The Shenlong first flew in 2020, 10 years after the first flight of the X-37B.

It’s probably not coincidental the two rival spaceplanes are heading to orbit at roughly the same time.

Air & Space Forces Magazine quoted Space Force General B. Chance Saltzman about the countries’ interest in each other’s secret robotic spacecraft.

It’s no surprise that the Chinese are extremely interested in our space plane. We’re extremely interested in theirs. Because it is a capability; the ability to put something in orbit, do some things, and bring it home and take a look at the results is powerful. And so these are two of the most watched objects on orbit while they’re on orbit. It’s probably no coincidence that they’re trying to match us in timing and sequence of this.

Saltzman made the comments at an aerospace industry conference in December.

The Space Force isn’t saying how long the X-37B’s mission will last. The most recent mission exceeded 900 days on orbit.

Bottom line: The Space Force X-37B spaceplane launched Thursday, December 28, 2023, from Kennedy Space Center. The reusable craft is carrying experiments and test equipment on its latest mission.