The next launch of the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B reusable unmanned spaceplane is scheduled for August and will occur aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, service officials said June 6.
The mission, the fifth for the Boeing [BA]-built Orbital Test Vehicle, will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Each of the previous four missions lifted off aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket.
“The ability to launch the Orbital Test Vehicle on multiple platforms will ensure a robust launch capability for our experiment designers,” said Randy Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, which leads the X-37B effort.
The upcoming mission will carry an Air Force Research Laboratory payload that involves experimental electronics and heat management technology, the Air Force said.
In May, the X-37B returned to Earth after spending almost two years in space, its fourth and longest mission ever (Defense Daily, May 8). The program is designed to try out reusable flight, re-entry and landing technologies.