The Boeing-built X 37B Orbital Test Vehicle launched on its eighth mission, lifting off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center in Central Florida, with a healthy on orbit and standard checkout.
Less than six months after completing its seventh mission with a landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on March 7th, the spaceplane went back in space. This mission includes a Boeing integrated service module to increase payload capacity for experimentation activities on orbit.
The mission will host demonstrations of high-bandwidth inter-satellite laser communications technologies, as well as the highest performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space. The U.S. Space Force will leverage insights from this mission to inform future space architectures.
“Our role is to make sure the spaceplane is the most reliable testbed it can be,” said Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems. “None of this happens without teamwork. Launch is the starting line for this mission, but the work that follows –the quiet, methodical work on orbit, analysis and eventual return is where progress is earned.”
The X-37B is hosting several technology demonstrations from government partners on this mission, include laser communications and a quantum inertial sensor designed to support navigation when GPS is unavailable. On its previous mission, the vehicle executed a first of its kind aerobraking maneuver to change orbits while conserving propellant.
“Having a returnable space platform allows us to learn faster,” said Col. Brian Chatman, installation commander for Space Launch Delta 45. “The data we gather from the X-37B speeds decisions, hardens our architectures, and helps Guardians stay connected and on course even in contested environments. This is how we move from promising ideas to fieldable capability at pace.”
The X 37B is a government–industry partnership led by the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, with the U.S. Space Force overseeing operations. Boeing teams primarily based in Seal Beach, California and Kennedy Space Center, Florida design, build, integrate and operate the reusable spaceplane.
Since first flight in 2010, the orbital test vehicle has completed seven missions and accumulated more than 4,200 days in space, returning after each flight for inspection and augmentation.
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