A U.S. military mini shuttle was launched Thursday night to conduct classified experiments in space. The uncrewed space plane, known as the X-37B, took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX rocket. This is the eighth flight for the X-37B. According to the U.S. Space Force, this mission will test laser communications and safe navigation without GPS.
It is currently unknown how long the mini shuttle will remain in orbit. The last X-37B mission lasted for just over a year, returning to Earth in March. Previous missions have ranged from several months to several years.
The reusable space planes, which are 9 meters long with a wingspan of almost 4.5 meters, were built by Boeing and first launched in 2010.
What is X-37B?
The X-37B is an uncrewed U.S. military space plane that resembles a miniature space shuttle. According to Jim Chilton, a senior vice president for its developer, Boeing, the vehicle was first launched in 2010. Chilton stated that it provides the U.S. with an "unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologie..".
In its previous mission, the X-37B hosted a service module for the first time. This module carried experiments for the Naval Research Laboratory, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and other organizations.
This most recent mission, dubbed OTV-8, was launched using a Falcon 9 rocket. This marked the third time a Falcon 9 has launched the X-37B, having previously launched OTV-5 and OTV-7.
Meanwhile, ISRO chief, V Narayanan, recently shared exciting news during a press conference held on August 21. He announced that the first test mission for Gaganyaan, India’s upcoming human spaceflight program, is set to launch in December. This mission is a significant step towards Gaganyaan 2025, which will mark India's first effort to send astronauts into space.
ALSO READ: NASA's Curiosity rover spots mysterious 'egg-shaped' rocks on Mars, baffling scientists
