SpaceX is gearing up for another try at launching the delay-plagued Falcon Heavy X-37B mission.
The current target is set for December 28, aiming to launch the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B space plane from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Originally scheduled for December 11, the launch was halted approximately 30 minutes before liftoff due to a complication with ground equipment. This delay has now extended to 17 days, with plans for the Falcon Heavy to take flight on the newly scheduled date.
This mission, designated USSF-52, is now set to launch within a four-hour window starting at 7 p.m. on December 28. The payload for this mission is Boeing’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, embarking on its seventh journey to orbit for what is anticipated to be a multi-year mission. This mission will be the first X-37B mission to utilize a Falcon Heavy, enabling the space plane to reach new orbital heights. The mission’s goals include operating in new orbital environments, testing space domain awareness technologies, and investigating radiation effects on NASA materials. Among the disclosed experiments is NASA’s “Seeds-2” project, which aims to study the impact of radiation and prolonged spaceflight on plant seeds.
Although specific details about the X-37B missions are largely classified, including most of its payloads and objectives, the duration of these missions has historically been extensive. The previous X-37B mission lasted a record 908 days, setting expectations for an equally lengthy mission this time.
The Falcon Heavy, known as the second-most powerful rocket in operation after NASA’s Space Launch System, last embarked on a mission in October, launching NASA’s Psyche probe towards the asteroid belt. The rocket, which is essentially three Falcon 9 rockets combined, generates a massive 5.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Notably, its two side boosters are planned to be recovered at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, an event that will produce audible double sonic booms across the Space Coast and Central Florida.
This launch, if it goes off on time, will be Falcon Heavy’s ninth launch, and its fifth this year. It’s worth noting that this will be the fifth time these particular Falcon Heavy side boosters are used, having previously supported missions such as USSF-44, USSF-67, Hughes JUPITER 3, and NASA’s Psyche mission. Post-separation, these boosters will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral.
The cost for this launch is estimated at $90 million, making it the seventh flight of the X-37B program, an initiative of the United States Air Force. The X-37B, an uncrewed 5000 kg, 8.8 m-long reusable mini-spaceplane built by Boeing, is capable of autonomous re-entry and landing.
A live webcast of the mission will be available, starting approximately fifteen minutes before liftoff on “X” formerly known as Twitter, as well as on several You-Tube Channels.
