Over the last several months, SpaceX has been seriously diversifying its clientele: In May, it flew a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). On Tuesday, the US Air Force announced that in August, it will be launching a reusable X-37B mini-space shuttle on board a Falcon 9 rocket. While some of the details are still shrouded in mystery (because the military), the Air Force said it will use the launch to test some electronics and oscillating heat pipes aboard the spacecraft. Fun times!
Image: SpaceX via Flickr
“The ability to launch the Orbital Test Vehicle on multiple platforms will ensure a robust launch capability for our experiment designers,” Randy Walden, the director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement. “We are excited about this new partnership on creating flexible and responsive launch options and are confident in SpaceX’s ability to provide safe and assured access to space for the X-37B program.”
Image: US Air Force
The X-37B is a nugget of a spacecraft, weighing only about 5000kg — for context, NASA’s Space Shuttle weighed around 75,000kg empty. On the craft’s last four missions, the X-37B has been carried into Low Earth Orbit on United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets, so this is quite the departure for the little guy.
Although SpaceX won contracts for two security missions with the Air Force back in 2015, this X-37B launch hadn’t been announced until now.
Here’s to tiny spaceplanes zoomin’ around.