The US military’s Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane is in space again for its eighth mission. The X-37B is an uncrewed craft that, just like the USA’s retired Space Shuttle, launches on a rocket and after re-entry makes an unpowered landing on a terrestrial runway. The vehicle has engines it can use to maneuver in space, but in 2024 deliberately grazed Earth’s …
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US military’s X-37B spaceplane stays relevant with launch of another mission
“Quantum inertial sensors are not only scientifically intriguing, but they also have direct defense applications,” said Lt. Col. Nicholas Estep, an Air Force engineer who manages the DIU’s emerging technology portfolio. “If we can field devices that provide a leap in sensitivity and precision for observing platform motion over what is available today, then there’s an opportunity for strategic gains …
Read More »SpaceX launches Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane to demo laser communications, quantum navigation – Spaceflight Now
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaks away from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to begin the USSF-36 mission with the X-37B spaceplane onboard. More than eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster, tail number 1092, landed with a sonic boom at Landing Zone 2. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now Update Aug. 22, 9:47 a.m. EDT: Added quotes …
Read More »US Military’s Mysterious Spaceplane May Have Limited Horizon – Bloomberg.com
US Military’s Mysterious Spaceplane May Have Limited Horizon Bloomberg.com Live coverage: SpaceX to launch X-37B military spaceplane on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center Spaceflight Now US Space Force prepares X-37B Mission 8 for launch spaceforce.mil Watch SpaceX launch US Space Force’s classified X-37B space plane today Space SpaceX readies for 8th flight of U.S. Space Force’s Orbital Test Vehicle Spectrum News 13 …
Read More »Quantum alternative to GPS navigation will be tested on US military spaceplane
A US military space-plane, the X-37B orbital test vehicle, is due to embark on its eighth flight into space on August 21 2025. Much of what the X-37B does in space is secret. But it serves partly as a platform for cutting-edge experiments. One of these experiments is a potential alternative to GPS that makes use of quantum science as …
Read More »The World’s First Commercial Spaceplane Won’t Be Launching Anytime Soon
The highly anticipated launch of the Dream Chaser spaceplane may be delayed yet again as Sierra Space continues to test its experimental vehicle. The inaugural Dream Chaser, named Tenacity, is slated for a launch date in 2025. However, recent comments by a NASA official revealed that there’s a lot more work to be done before the spaceplane is ready to …
Read More »U.S. military X-37B spaceplane prepares for eighth mission
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force announced a launch window for the next mission of the X-37B reusable spaceplane. The eighth flight of the Boeing-built plane, officially designated Orbital Test Vehicle-8 (OTV-8), is scheduled to lift off no earlier than August 21 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. To continue reading this article: Register now …
Read More »European Space Agency Is Building A Hypersonic Spaceplane
The European Space Agency is throwing its weight behind a design effort for a hypersonic spaceplane, with hopes of getting the final idea airborne (and spaceborne) by 2031. The ESA is putting up funding for the Invictus research program, which wants to achieve one of the space industry’s most coveted breakthroughs: The ability for …
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