The next launch of the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B reusable unmanned spaceplane is scheduled for August and will occur aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, service officials said June 6.
The mission, the fifth for the Boeing [BA]-built Orbital Test Vehicle, will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Each of the previous four missions lifted off aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket.
“The ability to launch the Orbital Test Vehicle on multiple platforms will ensure a robust launch capability for our experiment designers,” said Randy Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, which leads the X-37B effort.
The upcoming mission will carry an Air Force Research Laboratory payload that involves experimental electronics and heat management technology, the Air Force said.
In May, the X-37B returned to Earth after spending almost two years in space, its fourth and longest mission ever. The program is designed to try out reusable flight, re-entry and landing technologies.