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Watch live: SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches secretive X-37B military spaceplane

Watch live coverage as SpaceX launches a Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the U.S. military's secretive X-37B spaceplane. Liftoff from historic launch pad 39A at...

SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy for the USSF-52 / X-37B Spaceplane

SpaceX's fifth Falcon Heavy of the year is set to liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center carrying the US Space Force X-37B spaceplane...

Livestream on X

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SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

OTV-7 (X-37B) (USSF-52)

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Elliptical Orbit
Mission: Government/Top Secret

Elliptical Orbit Launch Complex 39A Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA Probability: 90%
B1084 - Atlantic Ocean B1064 - Landing Zone 1 B1065 - Landing Zone 2

It is the seventh flight of the X-37B program. United States Air Force Orbital Test Vehicle is built by Boeing. It's an uncrewed 5000 kg, 8.8 m-long reusable mini-spaceplane capable of autonomous re-entry and landing.

Telemetry

Launch trajectory and telemetry simulations provided by Flight Club - a rocket launch simulator and orbital trajectory visualiser for all things space!

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 29, 2023, 1:33 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 29, 2023, 1:07 a.m.

Liftoff.


Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 29, 2023, 12:14 a.m.

Weather now 90% GO.


LL2 • Dec. 28, 2023, 11:32 p.m.

Livestream has started



Falcon Heavy

Family:
Configuration: Heavy

The Falcon Heavy is a variant of the Falcon 9 full thrust launch vehicle and consists of a standard Falcon 9 rocket core, with two additional boosters derived from the Falcon 9 first stage.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
    70.0 m
  • Diameter
    12.2 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    1400.0 T
  • Thrust
    22819.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Falcon Heavy
  • Family
  • Variant
    Heavy
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Falcon Heavy
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $90000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    63800.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    26700.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Booster Info


B1084


Type: Core
Flight Proven: No
First Flight: December 29, 2023
Last Flight: December 29, 2023
Flights: 1

Landing Information

B1084 was expended after its first flight.

Core will be expended.

B1064

Status: Expended


Type: Strap-On Booster
Flight Proven: Yes
First Flight: November 1, 2022
Last Flight: October 14, 2024
Flights: 6
Landings Attempted: 5
Landings Successful: 5
Previous B1064 Flights

Landing Information

B1064 has landed back at the launch site after its fifth flight.

Result: Successful Return to Launch Site landing at Landing Zone 1.

B1065

Status: Expended


Type: Strap-On Booster
Flight Proven: Yes
First Flight: November 1, 2022
Last Flight: October 14, 2024
Flights: 6
Landings Attempted: 5
Landings Successful: 5
Previous B1065 Flights

Landing Information

B1065 has landed back at the launch site after its fifth flight.

Result: Successful Return to Launch Site landing at Landing Zone 2.

X-37B 2


Active Cargo Unmanned Payload Capacity: 227 kg
Destination: Elliptical Earth Orbit
Serial Number: 2

Second X-37B. First flight on March 5, 2011.

X-37B Details

SpaceX

SpaceX

(SpX)

CEO: Elon Musk Founded: 2002 Successes: 496 Failures: 14 Pending: 117

Agency Type:

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.

INFO WIKI

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Spaceflight Now

U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane lands following 434-day orbital mission

The secret winged spacecraft launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Dec. 29, 2023 to conduct a classified mission. The landing concludes the seventh flight of the Boeing-built spacecraft since 2010.

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U.S. military spaceplane completes 7th mission, including advanced orbital maneuvers

The X-37B spaceplane touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 7. The post U.S. military spaceplane completes 7th mission, including advanced orbital maneuvers appeared first on SpaceNews.

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X-37B Back Home from 7th Mission

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Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A


Electron
Success
1 day, 16 hours ago
The Sea God Sees (iQPS Launch 2)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.


Zhuque-2E
Success
1 day, 20 hours ago
6 satellites
Launch Area 96 - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

6 satellites from satellite manufacturer SpaceTY, including 3 multi-spectral Earth observation satellites and 3 technology demonstration satellites f…


Falcon 9
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Starlink Group 15-5
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 26 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
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4 days, 8 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-67
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2D
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4 days, 20 hours ago
Space Computing Constellation
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

12 satellites from ADASPACE testing in-orbit data processing capabilities for other satellites with artificial intelligence assistance, as well as in…


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 19 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-83
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 23 hours ago
Starlink Group 15-4
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 26 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 3
Success
6 days, 6 hours ago
TJSW-19
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Long March 6A
Success
1 week ago
Yaogan 40 Group 02
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese reconnaissance satellites of unknown purposes, officially reported as for "Electromagnetic environment probing".


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Starlink Group 6-91
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.