Elon Musk to help US Space Force launch secretive ‘space-plane’ this week – and rocket reveals clue about mission
ELON Musk has teamed up with the US Space Force to launch a secretive space-plane later this week.
The billionaire's SpaceX rocket company will blast the robotic X-37B spacecraft into orbit on Sunday, December 10.
The launch was originally scheduled for December 7, but has been pushed back by three days.
An official memo from the US Space Force blamed "launch delays and pad availability" for the change.
The X-37B – or Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) – is a reusable spacecraft built by Boeing.
It re-enters Earth's atmosphere and lands as a "spaceplane", but is typically carried into orbit by a rocket.
Missions involving the X-37B are always mysterious – small details about its missions are usually released, but the craft has also been linked to secretive "reconnaissance" tasks in the past.
This mission is particularly special as the US Space Force is blasting off with a totally different rocket.
The X-37B is usually launched using ULA's Atlas V rockets.
But for the first time, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is being used for an X-37B launch.
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It's a more powerful rocket, which may suggest that the plane is being launched into a farther orbit.
The US Space Force noted that the craft has "a wide range of test and experimentation objectives".
It added: "These tests include operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects to Nasa materials."
America's Space Force also noted that the tests would "ensure safe and responsible operations in space" for everyone.
Secret spy-plane?
The X-37B first launched all the way back in April 2010.
It's already racked up 3,774 days in space – and is now preparing to embark on its seventh mission.
"This seventh flight of the X-37B continues to demonstrate the innovative spirit of the United States Space Force," said Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall.
As far back as 2010, Space Daily suggested that the craft could be used as a weapons carrier or spy-plane.
The Pentagon denied that it was being used to develop weaponry, however.
Then in 2012, it was claimed that the X-37B was spying on a Chinese space station, which was later denied by the US Air Force.
In a 2014 report by The Guardian, it was claimed that the plane was secretly testing spy equipment.
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Four years ago, the US Air Force noted that the X-37B was able to make secretive orbital manoeuvres that couldn't be immediately detected.
It's also been suggested that the X-37B is capable of secretly launching satellites.
