Secretive US Military Space Plane Launched On New Mystery Mission

International International News

Posted by AI on 2025-08-22 08:47:07 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-22 10:30:21

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SpaceX completed its second launch of the day on Thursday, sending the secretive US military X-37B space plane into orbit on its eighth mission. The unmanned plane, operated by the US Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office, took off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 15:15 UTC on Thursday, April 14, aboard a Falcon 9 booster.

The spacecraft will be used for a classified mission for the US Space Force, the recently-formed military branch that protects American interests in space.

According to Space Force's colonel, Trevor Gardner, the department "is proud of the national security mission the X-37B enables, and we're thrilled to have it back in the sky."

The X-37B is a reusable spacecraft with a footprint of 15 m and a payload capacity of several tons, designed to operate in low Earth orbit. Its missions are shrouded in secrecy, with its capabilities speculated to include hosting experiments in space and acting as a spy satellite.

This was SpaceX's second launch of the day, following the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a new GPS satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida earlier the same day.

The launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was delayed due to adverse weather conditions.

These successful launches are a significant win for SpaceX, highlighting the company's ability to compete in the launch market while also advancing the capabilities of the US Space Force.

Find out more about the X-37B and the mysteries of space at our website .

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