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US SECRET Robot Spaceplane Blasts Off on Elon Musks’ SpaceX Rocket
US Military Robot Spaceplane Blasts Off on SECRET Mission Aboard Elon Musks’ SpaceX Rocket
Battle of The SECRET Robot Space Planes as US and China Launch Test Flights
Daily Mail 30 DEC 2023
A secret spaceplane has been launched by the US on a classified mission, just days after a similar Chinese spacecraft released mysterious objects into orbit
A secret spaceplane has been launched by the US on a classified mission, just days after a similar Chinese spacecraft released mysterious objects into orbit.
The unmanned US Defence Department shuttle, named X-37B, lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Thursday evening.
US Space Force, which is running the mission, released scant details of its objectives, but said it would be “operating in new orbital regimes” and “experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies”.
It comes after China launched its own robotic Shenlong – or Divine Dragon – spaceplane earlier this month, which placed six objects into Earth orbit.
The unknown objects, described as “mysterious wingmen” by the amateur spacecraft trackers who are following them, are sending out signals, but the reason for the emissions is unclear.
It is expected that the latest US mission will be keeping an eye on Chinese space operations and many believe the decision to launch the craft so close to each other is not a coincidence.
Space Force General B. Chance Saltzman said at an industry conference: “These are two of the most watched objects on orbit while they’re on orbit. It’s probably no coincidence that they’re trying to match us in timing and sequence of this.”
It is the seventh time the US X-37B has been launched, but it is the first time the drone has been carried on such a large rocket, meaning it could travel further.
There is speculation that the plane may travel out of low Earth orbit (LEO) and could even be destined for the orbit of the Moon.
It may also aim for a high elliptical orbit known as a Molniya orbit, which was pioneered by the Soviet Union to provide communications in remote Arctic areas. Falcon Heavy can also carry payloads into geosynchronous orbit, more than 22,000 miles above the Earth.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket passes in front of the moon as it launches the X37B at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on Thursday
Military interest in space has been growing in recent years, with several countries, including China, testing anti-satellite missiles and jamming systems, as well as creating manoeuvrable satellites that can destroy spacecraft in orbit.
In its annual report, the US Defence Department warned that China: “..continues to develop a variety of counter-space capabilities designed to limit or prevent an adversary’s use of space during a crisis or conflict.”
It is estimated that China will have 200 anti-satellites as early as 2026.
Satellites are crucial in modern warfare, providing drone targeting, location and navigation aid, surveillance and reconnaissance. Experts have warned that without GPS, bombs and nuclear missiles become much less accurate.
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