Welcome to the c/SpaceX USSF-52 (OTV-7) Launch Discussion and Updates Thread!

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☑️ 5th Falcon Heavy launch this year

☑️ 9th Falcon Heavy launch all time

☑️ 13th launch from LC-39A this year

☑️ 94th SpaceX launch this year

☑️ 308th SpaceX launch all time

☑️ 210th consecutive successful Falcon 9 / FH launch (excluding Amos-6) (if successful)

Payload info: X-37B

NextSpaceflight:

This mission will be carrying the US Space Force X-37B vehicle. Among the payloads is NASA’s Seeds-2 mission, which seeks to investigate the long-term effects of radiation on plant seeds.

ARS Technica:

In a statement, the Space Force said the seventh X-37B mission will have a “wide range of test and experimentation objectives.” The Pentagon wants everyone to know the X-37B spaceplane exists, but military officials are mum about the details of the vehicle’s missions. The Space Force’s statement Wednesday was similarly vague on details of the upcoming flight.

“These tests include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA,” the Space Force said.

The X-37B program is a partnership between the Space Force and the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. Military officials have acknowledged there are two X-37B vehicles built by Boeing, and each has flown multiple times.

The spaceplane measures about 29 feet (8.9 meters) long with a wingspan just shy of 15 feet (4.5 meters), about one-quarter the size of one of NASA’s space shuttle orbiters. It has a cargo bay inside the fuselage for payloads, plus a disposable service module that was flown for the first time on the most recent X-37B mission, providing additional capacity for experiments.

The spaceplane fits snugly within the nose cone of a Falcon or Atlas rocket, allowing the X-37B to take off on top of a conventional launch vehicle just like any other satellite payload.

An Air Force spokesperson declined a request from Ars for additional information about the orbit for the next X-37B mission.

Launching the X-37B on a Falcon Heavy rocket will drive more speculation about the military spaceplane. US military officials have released information about some of the experiments the X-37B has flown, including electric thruster and advanced thermal control technologies. But past X-37B missions have deployed small satellites, both covertly and overtly, and the military has provided only vague descriptions of the spaceplane’s other activities.

Resources:

• Official SpaceX mission page
• Next Spaceflight mission page
• ARS Technica article (Stephen Clark)
• spacenews.com article (Sandra Erwin)
• Spaceflight Now article (Will Robinson-Smith)
• NASASpaceFlight article (Trevor Sesnic)

Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re still a relatively small sub, so feedback from the community is very valuable!