by The U.S. Space Force has announced a delay in the upcoming launch of its elusive X-37B space plane.
The mission, designated USSF-52, was scheduled for Dec. 7, but has now been pushed back to Dec. 10.
X-37B will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida.
Shifting launch schedules and availability at Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A) were cited for the date change, according to a Space Force statement.
This will be the reusable space plane's first launch on a Falcon Heavy rocket, which has implications for its secretive mission.
Five of X-37B's six previous launches were carried out using United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rockets; the single remainder flew on a Falcon 9.
During its most recent mission, X-37B spent 908 days in orbit, returning to Earth on Nov. 12, 2022, touching down on the runway at KSC previously used for space shuttle landings.
Source
The mission, designated USSF-52, was scheduled for Dec. 7, but has now been pushed back to Dec. 10.
X-37B will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida.
Shifting launch schedules and availability at Launch Complex-39A (LC-39A) were cited for the date change, according to a Space Force statement.
This will be the reusable space plane's first launch on a Falcon Heavy rocket, which has implications for its secretive mission.
Five of X-37B's six previous launches were carried out using United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rockets; the single remainder flew on a Falcon 9.
During its most recent mission, X-37B spent 908 days in orbit, returning to Earth on Nov. 12, 2022, touching down on the runway at KSC previously used for space shuttle landings.
Source
