LIVE: SpaceX to attempt launch of secretive X-37B military spaceplane - national security mission for the US Space Force

The Falcon 9 Heavy is capable of boosting the Boeing X-37B to a higher orbit with heavier payloads than usual.NASA is sending an experiment involving radiation resistant materials along on the X-37B.The X-37B mission is being overseen by Space Systems Command,a space warfighting organisation.In the first official painting of the X-37B,it was depicted as heading to intercept a hostile spacecraft.*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)

Orion Program Update:NASA Gears Up to Train Artemis II Crew for Moon Mission

NASA Gears Up to Train Artemis II Crew for Moon Mission: NASA Gears Up to Train Artemis II Crew for Moon Mission

Orion Program Update:Here are the Artemis II astronauts that will fly around the Moon and even beyond it

Three of the astronauts are serving in the military:Captains Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover,US Navy,and Colonel Jeremy Hansen,Royal Canadian Air Force.The Artemis II mission will take astronauts 4600 mi/7402.9 km past the dark side of the Moon,which is farther into the solar system than humans have ever gone before.

F-22 Raptor Brings Down China's Spy Balloon

Four Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fifth generation fighters were scrambled at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia Saturday.They were needed to bring down the Chinese military balloon that attempted to gather intelligence over US territory in a blatant violation of US sovereignty and international law.The balloon was loaded with tons of surveillance equipment directed at sensitive military bases with an apparent emphasis on strategic systems such as the Minuteman III ICBM and B-2 Spirit bombers.* The Raptors arrived on scene off the South Carolina coast and loitered while they awaited the balloon's arrival.The balloon had first violated Canada's sovereignty before heading south into Montana and surveilling Malmstrom Air Force Base and its missile fields.It had traveled from China to the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska before violating Canadian air space,all the while tracked by NORAD.Eventually it wandered east over to Whiteman Air Force Base,Missouri,home of the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber.NORTHCOM,out of Peterson Air Force Base,Colorado,provides protection for the US mainland and took charge of the hostile incident.Two air refueling tankers flew a pattern off South Carolina,standing by to refuel aircraft as needed.* On Wednesday,US President Joseph R. Biden ordered the Pentagon to shoot down the balloon in the safest way as soon as possible.The Pentagon chose the sea option.* Climbing to an altitude of 58,000 ft.,one of the F-22s fired a Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missile at the balloon at short range.It punctured the balloon with a thud,rendering it limp as it plunged for about five minutes to the coastal waters below within the 12-mile territorial zone of the United States.Whatever lands within the zone is legally under US Government control.The balloon ended up at a depth of merely 47 feet,easily retrievable by even novice divers.The US Navy and Coast Guard secured the scene by establishing a perimeter.A salvage vessel made its way to the wreckage of the ill-fated Chinese contraption.Electronic warfare measures had been applied to its technology by US Forces as it was blown along,ensuring that it couldn't achieve its unlawful mission unhindered.The debris field had been ascertained by NORTHCOM and NASA in advance.* Analysis:So China ended up with its surveillance technology in the hands of the US Intelligence Community,embarrassed by this bizarre mission of the People's Liberation Army.For its part,Canada expressed its appreciation for the US downing of the balloon.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Raytheon Technologies (RTX)

Ballistic Missile Submarine Makes History at Diego Garcia

At the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Diego Garcia,a militarised atoll in the central part of the Indian Ocean,the US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) recently made the first-ever port call by an SSBN at the joint US/UK military base,Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.Carrying up to 20 sea-launched Trident D5 ICBMs with nuclear warheads,the West Virginia was in port from 25-31 October,according to U.S. Strategic Command.The port call had been withheld from the media to protect the secrecy of nuclear submarine operations.It was part of the West Virginia's sustained deterrence operations in the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command areas of responsibility.The extended deterrence patrol provides security and stability to US Allies and a warning to US adversaries such as China,Russia,North Korea and Iran.* Ohio-class submarines such as USS West Virginia serve as an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles,and are thus the most secure leg of the land/air/sea nuclear deterrent triad.Before its port call at Diego Garcia,the West Virginia had surfaced to embark USCENTCOM commander General Michael Kurilla,US Army,in the Arabian Sea and participated in a joint USSTRATCOM-led communications drill to validate emerging and innovative tactics in the Indian Ocean,which is third in size among the world's oceans.Noted Vice Admiral Willaim Houston,commander of Naval Submarine Forces:The stealth and response capability of these submarines combined with the crew's training make our SSBNs the most powerful warships in the world.* Indeed,the West Virginia conducted a complete 150-person crew exchange while berthed at Diego Garcia and a replenishment at sea,showcasing the SSBN's readiness and flexibility to remain on long patrols.Such submarine forces can leverage undersea concealment to permit unique operational,deterrent and combat effects.Twenty-four hours a day and year-round from any location,USSTRATCOM forces deter strategic attacks and guarantee the security of the US and its Allies.* So Diego Garcia is located just south of the equator in the Central Indian Ocean.Besides its deep water lagoon,the base has two 12,000 ft/3657 m runways capable of handling strategic nuclear-capable bombers.It isn't known if nuclear weapons are actually stored on the atoll.Under its agreement with the UK,the US is permitted to use the base until at least 2036.It was used in the Gulf War;Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan);and Operation Iraqi Freedom.Three to five thousand US troops serve there for one-year tours.No families are allowed,although civilian contractors do live on the atoll to provide critical services.Diego Garcia was reportedly used as a CIA black site for prisoner interrogation and a NASA alternate Space Shuttle Landing Facility.*

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

Orion spacecraft trans-lunar injection and separation - Orion Program Update

Advanced Air Mobility Center in Ohio Will Enable Collaboration between USAF, NASA, Academia, and Industry - Aviation Today

Advanced Air Mobility Center in Ohio Will Enable Collaboration between USAF, NASA, Academia, and Industry - Aviation Today: Construction of a facility for advanced air mobility projects began last month in Springfield, Ohio. The center is funded by $9.35M in investments.

NASA chief talks latest Artemis 1 launch scrub, possible VAB roll back

Engine Section for Artemis II Moves to Final Assembly at Michoud Assembly Facility,New Orleans - It will be joined to the rest of the SLS Core Stage.Artemis II will be the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft..

NASA Promotes Howard Hu to Lead Orion Ahead of First Artemis Mission

NASA Promotes Howard Hu to Lead Orion Ahead of First Artemis Mission: NASA has selected Howard Hu as the Orion Program manager, based at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Launch of NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration — LCRD Officia...Cape Canaveral Space Force Station - One of the other payloads is for the National Nuclear Security Administration

SpaceX launches Crew-3 mission to ISS | NBC News - NASA Astronauts Col.Raja Chari,USAF;Thomas Marshburn ;Lt.Cdr. Kayla Barron,USN ;and ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer - 10 November 2021

Launch: NASA Lucy Mission / Atlas V 401 - Cape Canaveral Space Force Station - magnificent launch of the first-ever mission to the Trojan asteroids

Orbital Flight Test-2: Crew and Science Briefing - includes US Marine Corps Astronaut LtCol Nicole Mann - note:the OFT-2 mission has had to be rescheduled to 3 August 2021 at the earliest because of an accidental firing of the thrusters of the newly arrived Roscosmos (Russian) Nauka laboratory module,which briefly caused the ISSto shift position.

Relentless Pursuit: First Ever Military Launch from the Mid-Atlantic

On 14 June 2020 occurred the historic first launch of a military space mission from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0B at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.Four classified payloads belonging to the Department of Defense National Reconnaissance Office were sent into orbit aboard a Northrop Grumman Minotaur IV rocket using three engines from a decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBM plus the second stage's solid rocket motor.*
The mission,NROL-129, was the NRO'S first dedicated launch from NASA Wallops.The US Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center provided​ the launch services for NROL-129.NRO director Dr.Chris Scolese said the system of satellites will
demonstrate revolutionary capabilities to the nation and our Allies:
Despite facing challenges in 2020,we have found new and better ways to collaborate with our partners from a distance, relentlessly pursuing our mission and denying sanctuary to our adversaries.*
Added NASA Wallops director David Pierce:
Today's successful launch exemplifies NASA'S proud service to NRO and the nation...We look forward to working with NRO, Virginia Space and Northrop Grumman on future missions from Wallops.*
Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Air Force Department Celebrating Milestones

With the commissioning of 86 US Air Force Academy cadets into the US Space Force and the impending Launch America mission to the ISS by NASA Astronaut COL Robert Behnken,US Air Force, things have seldom been more exciting at the US Department of the Air Force.The new Space Force 2nd lieutenants include 57 space operators;3 intelligence officers;4 cyber experts;10 engineers; and 12 acquisition professionals.
As well, about 1800 personnel from 23 USAF organisations are to be transferred within 180 days to the USSF.Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett, however,expects some of them to be shifted within closer to 60 days, Space Force vice-commander LTG David Thompson told a Space News virtual chat in April 2020.*
The USSF also aspires to recruit from the general public.For now,though, aspirants are being directed to Air Force recruiting.*
On 21 May 2020,SecAF Barrett and USSF chief of space operations GEN John Raymond held a phone conversation with COL Behnken.Ms.Barrett and GEN Raymond both expressed intense pride in Behnken's achievement.On 27 May,Behnken and his NASA colleague COL Doug Hurley,US Marine Corps (retired) are to be launched to the ISS by the SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Pad 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.The public is barred from the launch because of COVID-19.Nevertheless, Raymond said:
I tell you, we are excited for your upcoming mission.It's going to be great to have an Airman on that first rocket launch (since the Space Shuttle retired in 2011) and an Airman on the ISS.We're cheering for you.*
Both Behnken and Hurley are Space Shuttle veterans.They will spend 1-5 months on the ISS, NASA said, depending on how the mission evolves.It could include up to 5 spacewalks to replace a battery and refurbish other ISS parts.*
COL Behnken noted:
We've had some interesting twists and turns.Our mission was originally a test mission exclusively focused on a week or a week and a half or so to make sure we achieve the test objectives and get this flight certified for the next set of crews so they would do a long duration mission.*
The mission has been upgraded to ensure there isn't a gap in American presence on the ISS until the next launch of NASA astronauts to the space station.*
Thunderstorms may cause a postponement of the launch.*

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.*

Orion Program Update: Artemis I Recovery Test Completed

NASA and the US Navy have completed a capsule recovery test, Underway Recovery Test - 8, in the Pacific Ocean in preparation for NASA's Artemis I Mission.Helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 (HSC-23) and the USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) supported the first full mission profile test.The Landing and Recovery Team successfully met their objectives, NASA said.*
The Artemis I Mission is a fully integrated flight test of NASA's Deep Space Exploration Systems, including the Orion spacecraft; Space Launch System rocket; backed by the upgraded Exploration Ground Systems at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.The recovery test furthered NASA's goal of assuring a safe crew module entry, descent,spashdown and recovery at the conclusion of Artemis I.*
HSC-23, the "Wildcards", are based at NAS North Island,San Diego.They fly the MH-60 helicopter and MQ-8B Firescout VTUAV.The USS John P. Murtha is a San Antonio-class Amphibious Transport Dock ship homeported at Naval Base San Diego.*
NASA's critical missions,such as Artemis I and the James Webb Space Telescope, are being safeguarded during the COVID-19 crisis to minimise disruption.Certain personnel have reportedly been moved to remote locations to help ensure the missions remain on course.*
Artemis I is slated for launch in the second half of 2021.*