SpaceX sets December 28 launch date for US military’s X-37B space plane | Oneindia News

First there was a weather delay.Then there were technical concerns as it is the first time the Boeing X-37B has launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy.*Boeing (BA)

X-37B to be Launched on Seventh Mission

On 2 November 2023,it was announced by the Air Force News Service that the Boeing X-37B space plane would be launched on a Space X Falcon Heavy rocket on 7 December 2023 from the NASA Kennedy Space Center.It is the first time the space plane will be launched on a Falcon Heavy,indicating the unprecedented weight of the cargo.The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office is partnering with the US Space Force on the mission,which has a wide range test and experimentation objectives.These tests include operating the reuseable space plane in new orbital regimes;experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies;and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA.* Said X37-B Program Director Lt.Col. Joseph Fitscher:We are excited to expand the envelope of the reuseable X-37B's capabilities,using the flight-tested service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to fly multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners.*X-37B Mission 7,aka Orbital Test Vehicle-7,will expand the United States Space Force's knowledge of the space environment by experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies.These tests are integral to ensuring safe,stable,and secure operations in space for all users of the domain,AFNS said.For his part,Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzmann said:The X-37B continues to equip the United States with the knowledge to enhance current and future space operations.X-37B Mission 7 demonstrates the USSF's commitment to innovation and defining the art of the possible in the space domain.*NASA's experiment will expose plant seeds to the harsh radiation environment of long-duration spaceflight.The Seeds-2 experiment will build upon prior experiment successes to pave the way for future crewed missions to deep space destinations.The previous X-37B Mission 6 introduced a service module that expanded the spacecraft's capabilities and allowed it to host more experiments than any other previous mission.*Director of the DAF RCO,William B. Bradley,said that:The X-37B and Boeing teams have worked together to produce a more responsive,flexible,and adaptive experimentation platform.The work they've done to streamline processes and adapt evolving technologies will help our nation learn a tremendous amount about operating in and returning from a space environment.*So it may be inferred that the OTV-7 will continue to develop space surveillance capabilties.* On 20 October 2023,the Space Operations Command (SpOC) unveiled its first official painting,"High Ground Intercept" during a ceremony at Peterson Space Force Base,Colorado.SpOC provides orbital warfare and intelligence capabilities to the USSF.The painting depicts a delta-shaped space plane called a "future intercept vehicle" opening its payload bay doors as it moves into position to engage an adversary satellite that is targeting a friendly spacecraft.Artist Rich Hunter was commissioned to create the painting without access to classified materials.It would be fair to assume that OTV-7 will also enhance USSF's orbital warfare capabilities along with space domain awareness.Indeed,the painting,which this blog has studied,depicts a space plane that is a fair approximation of the X-37B itself.* Boeing (BA)

Space Operations:After More Than Two Years in Orbit,US Space Force X-37B Lands at Space Shuttle Landing Facility

On 12 November 2022,a US Space Force Boeing X-37B spacecraft landed at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Space Shuttle Landing Facility.Its mission,labeled Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6),lasted a programme-record 908 days-or about 2.5 years.Some of the payloads were classified,while others were disclosed.The spacecraft,resembling a smaller version of the Space Shuttle,is believed to be one of two the Space Force owns and had formerly belonged to the US Air Force.Indeed,it still bore the Air Force lettering.The X-37B's secretive missions have grown longer with each launch.An Atlas V rocket has served as the launch vehicle.* This time,the OTV-6 featured the introduction of a service module,described as being a ring attached to the rear of the vehicle.The service module detached from the OTV before landing because of the aerodynamic forces affecting the OTV upon re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere.It will be disposed of in accordance with environmentally sound best practices,ensuring that space junk will not be left behind.* Among the disclosed experiments were the Naval Research Lab's Photovoltaic Radio Frequency Antenna Module,which harnesses solar rays above the atmosphere,seeking to transmit power to the Earth as RF microwave energy.The US Air Force Academy sent the FalconSat-8,developed with the Air Force Research Laboratory.It provides hands-on space operator training to USAFA cadets before their commissioning as officers in the Space Force. NASA sent two experiments on OTV-6.These were the Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space-2 (METIS-2),which carried thermal coatings for testing;printed electronic materials;and candidate radiation shielding materials.After 908 days in space,these will be compared to ground simulations,validating and improving the precision of space environment models.NASA also sent a study of the effects of long-duration space exposure on seeds,in order to guide space crop production on interplanetary missions and permanently inhabited bases in space. Said Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Fritschen,Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office X-37B Program Director: The X-37B continues to push the boundaries of experimentation,enabled by an elite government and industry team behind the scenes.The addition of the service module on OTV-6 allowed us to host more expriments than ever before.* The undisclosed payloads would have perhaps tested the rapid deployment of space assets such as intelligence collection systems or satellite warfare components.For example,short notice could have been given of a Space Force need and the rapid deployment of it on the X-37B carried out.* Upon landing,technicians in biohazard-type suits safed the X-37B.* Boeing (BA) #usspaceforce #x37b #nasa #spaceshuttle #boeing #navalresearchlab #airforceresearchlab

SecAF and CSO: Space Force Update

On 6 May 2020, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett and Chief of Space Operations GEN John Raymond gave a status check on the US Space Force during a webinar sponsored by the Space Foundation,an advocacy group of representatives from​ a broad range of aerospace organisations.Secretary Barrett noted that the USSF recently commissioned 86 US Air Force Academy cadets into the Space Force.For his part,GEN Raymond explained that:
We do not want to get into a conflict that begins or extends into space. We want to deter that. But the way you do that is from a position of strength. What gives us a position of strength is our partnerships. We also need to have systems that are defensible.And we have to continue to train our operatives to have the warfighting skills necessary to accomplish this mission.*
The USSF is aiming for a complement of about 16,000 personnel.It will be small, agile and trailblazing, according to GEN Raymond.The service is intent on protecting the free access to space which fuels both the American way of life and the American way of war.*
Secretary Barrett feels the launch of the X-37B space plane illustrates the necessity of having a Space Force:
The Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office has combined forces with the Air Force Research Laboratory and now the US Space Force to execute a mission that maximizes the X-37B's unique capabilities.*
The USSF now oversees the launch,on-orbiit operations and landing of the space plane.This mission demonstrates the integration of the Air Force,US Space Force and private industry partnerships, the Air Force said.While some of the mission is public,such as the NASA experiments supporting the human exploration of Mars, the military side is strictly classified.*
Most of the Space Force's work is being done by Air Force personnel assigned to the Space Force.Over the next few years, certain Air Force units and bases will transition into the USSF,such as Cape Canaveral Air Force Station becoming Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.*

US Space Force Assumes National Security Launch Role

Despite the COVID-19 crisis,the new US Space Force, part of the Department of the Air Force,is to proceed with its critical missions of supporting military payload launches and responding to the outer space threat environment,a USSF spokesman told news organisations. According to MAJ Will Russell:
At this time, there are no impacts to the US Space Force mission-essential activities due to COVID-19 concerns.*
Indeed,on 26 March 2020 the Lockheed Martin Advanced Extremely High Frequency  satellite,AEHF-6, will be launched from Cape Canaveral on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with USSF support.As for ULA,a Lockheed-Boeing joint venture,it also is determined to forge ahead.CEO Tory Bruno said:
We have a critical role to support both national security and rare exploration opportunities.*
GEN John "Jay" Raymond is the first Chief of Space Operations,and more than 16,000 uniformed and civilian personnel, mostly from the US Air Force Space Command, have been assigned to the new armed service.More such transfers are imminent,USSF vice-commander LTGEN David Thompson said.As well, several capabilities and personnel from the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps will be transferred to the Space Force.The transfers are voluntary.
There is no opportunity for civilians to enlist in the Space Force at this time.*
The USSF has taken over the Boeing X-37B secret space plane.Its next launch is slated for April 2020.Altogether, the Space Force will launch 8-10 National Security Space Launches (NSSL) this year.*
Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are to be renamed Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, respectively.*
The necessity of the US Space Force is illustrated by the concern that China will establish a base on the Moon in 2024.It could be used to supply China with unique military intelligence,in light of China's civilian-military fusion policy.*
Lockheed Martin (LMT), Boeing (BA)

General Hyten Lays Out US STRATCOM's Leadership Role in Space

On 13 June 2018,US Air Force General John E. Hyten,Commander,US Strategic Command,gave the annual John Glenn Lecture at the Smithsonian Air&Space Museum in Washington.Speaking in generalities to protect classified information,GEN Hyten noted that only 13% of Americans thought that sending US astronauts back to the Moon was a top priority,and only 18% considered sending a crewed mission to Mars a top priority,according to the latest Pew Research poll.This shows a disappointing lack of enthusiasm for space exploration.We need to return to dreaming,GEN Hyten said,to emphasise how important the STEM disciplines are,and to make sure we protect space so these dreams are always possible.Today,STEM is mainstream.Six percent of all workers are in STEM fields,and they earn 12% more than other workers.The cool kids are becoming the geeks.STRATCOM shuts down without a flow of these cool people.*
GEN Hyten,who has 162,000 service members under his command,said that they have two imperatives:
1.To operate within space to defend our nation;and
2.We have to defend space so our children can use it.
Basic research is where the next great idea is going to come from.For decades,it was thought the enemy could only hurt us through massive damage.That's no longer the case.Now they can hurt us in space and even cyberspace.Our adversaries get a vote.This is not the world I wish there was;this is the world that is,and the world that is has threats to our space capabilities;and because it has threats to our space capabilities,we have to be willing to do something about it.
When we have adversaries such as Russia and China that openly declare that they are going to build weapons to take away our space capabilities,we have to do something about it.So we're going to change.We're going to change the way we look at space.We're going to look at space,and we're going to define our future,and we're going to treat space as if it's a warfighting environment.There's actually no such thing as war in space;there's just war.
We have adversaries that are building weapons to take away our use of space,so we have to do something to prevent them from doing that.So we're going to build different systems,and different ways of doing business,and we're going to build operators that think about space as a warfighting domain;so that every adversary that looks at us will not try to contest us in that area,because,if they do,they'll realise that they'll lose.And that will prevent war from extending into space.We're taking measures so that any attack on our space architecture will be met in a manner,time and place of our own choosing.That's what our current national security strategy says.We're going to put a priority on building new capabilities to defend ourselves.Space superiority is not our birthright;Russia and China are building weapons that are going to challenge us.*
This is an exciting time to be in the space business.If you think about what's going on in SpaceX;in Blue Origen;in NASA;in the Air Force;in small companies.I've never seen a time like this;but now we have to take the steps forward;we have to push back;we have to support NASA in their desire to move back out into space with humans.Our nation's leadership is aligned like I've never seen before.From the White House,to Congress,to NASA,the Pentagon-across the Government,it's a great thing to see;but we have to take advantage of it.Now is the time.The big dreams and innovation of the sixties and seventies were only the beginning,and we're taking steps that will ensure that the benefits of space will be protected for future generations.With dreams,we can make our own history.*
STRATCOM deals with space in large part  through one of its component commands,US Air Force Space Command,headquartered at Peterson AFB,Colorado.*
The Air Force's highly classified Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is often suspected to be an integral part of space warfighting research and development.

USAF Boeing X-37B Helps Ensure Leadership in Space Technology

The US Air Force will launch the fourth unmanned mission of its dedicated space plane,the Boeing X-37B,on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 20 May 2015.The mission,known as OTV-4,or Orbital Test Vehicle-4,will be focused on the testing of experimental payloads,says Randy Walden,director of the USAF Rapid Capabilities Office.The RCO will test an experimental propulsion system developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and Space and Missile Systems Center,among other experiments.A NASA advanced materials investigation is also on the docket.No other experiments have been disclosed.
We're very pleased with the experiments lined up for our fourth OTV mission,Mr.Walden said.We'll continue to evaluate improvements to the space vehicle's performance,but we're honoured to host these collaborative experiments that will help advance space technology.*
The Air Force has two of the vehicles,which are 8.8 meters/29 ft. long.One of the OTVs flew missions 1 and 3;the other flew mission 3.The last mission,OTV-3,lasted nearly two years at 674 days in orbit,landing on 14 October 2014.OTV-1 launched in April 2010 and lasted 225 days;OTV-2 blasted off in March 2011 and lasted 469 days.The duration of the OTV-4 mission wasn't released.*
The X-37B began as a NASA project in 1999,but was transferred to the USAF in 2004.The spacecraft was based on the aerodynamic design of the space shuttle.Indeed,it was originally intended to be launched from the shuttle's cargo bay,but was converted to an independent launch format when that was deemed too costly.Originating in Boeing's Phantom Works,it became a classified project of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and part of the Department of Defense's independent space policy after the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.The program is concerned with risk reduction,experimentation and operational concept development for reusable space technologies in support of long-term developmental space objectives.*
The X-37B has been landing at Vandenburg Air Force Base,California,with Edwards Air Force Base,California as an alternate site.By the end of 2014,the OTVs were to be housed in the former space shuttle hangars at Kennedy Space Center,OPF-1 and OPF-2,following the hangars' renovation.The spacecraft is the world's smallest orbital space plane,one-fourth the size of the space shuttle.It is powered by one Aerojet Rocketdyne human-rated AR2-3 engine.Flying an orbit of the same altitude as reconnaissance satellites and the International Space Station at 410 kilometers/255 miles,it is a crucial exponent of the Air Force's space doctrine that space is vitally important to everything it does,be it secure communications;intelligence,search and rescue;missile warning;weather prediction;or precision navigation and timing,all of which rely on space,a domain that is increasingly contested.*
One of the main experiments on OTV-4 will test the Hall effect thruster in support of the Advanced High Frequency Communications Satellite program.The AEHF satellites are nuclear-hardened and cost one billion dollars each.They are designed to ensure the continuity of military communications in the most drastic wartime scenarios.Three AEHFs have been deployed,with three more planned.
The Hall effect thruster experiment involves collection of telemetry from the thruster operating in the space environment,as well as measurement of the thrust imported on the vehicle.The data will be used to validate and improve Hall thruster and environmental modeling capabilities,which will enhance the ability to extrapolate ground test results to actual in-orbit performance,the Air Force said.A more efficient on-orbit thruster capability is highly significant.Less fuel burn lowers the cost to put a satellite in orbit,as well as enhances a spacecraft's operational flexibility,survivability and longevity.
The Hall thruster is a 4.5 kilowatt unit that uses electricity and xenon to produce thrust for maneuvering satellites.It produces whisper-like thrust by ionising and accelerating xenon gas.Xenon fuel weighs just a fraction of conventional hydrazine fuel,but takes longer to utilise.It is an electric propulsion system that needs very long periods of time to harness for orbital maneuvering.That may explain why the OTV-3 mission lasted almost two years.*
Boeing (BA),Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (AJRD)

Secret Air Force Space Plane Nears Milestone

The US Air Force's classified Boeing X-37B spacecraft will reach a major milestone later this month.Launched on an Atlas V rocket in 2012,the third mission of the X-37B,called OTV-3,will mark 500 days in orbit on 25 April.It has already surpassed its former record for length of a continuous space plane mission of 479 days.
The Air Force has two of the heavily cloaked Boeing spacecraft,which resemble a small version of the space shuttle,although lacking a central tailfin.It has two smaller tailfins instead-one on each side.*
The first of the unannounced space plane missions occurred in 2010.The spacecraft land at Vandenburg Air Force Base,California.There are rumours that a larger,manned version,the X-37C,is to follow.The Air Force formerly launched classified military missions from Vandenburg as part of the space shuttle program.*
The X-37B is 8.8 meters long,with a payload bay of 2.1 by 1.2 meters.It weighs in at 4990 kilograms at liftoff.Once it space,it unfolds a solar panel to power operations.The space plane reportedly makes multiple passes over China and North Korea daily.On at least one occasion,it drew near to a Chinese satellite.*
The X-37B is visible to the naked eye,reaching a magnitude in excess of +1.Check the website Heavens-Above to find its course through the night sky.*
Given the X designation,it is probably a testbed for such things as reconnaissance technology or space warfare projects.Satellite tracking and anti-satellite weapons are possible areas of interest the program is furthering.China has intercepted and destroyed one of its own aging weather satellites with an intercontinental ballistic missile,demonstrating a capability the Air Force may be eager to respond to.*
Boeing(BA)