Specifics about the spacecraft and its missions have been consistently shrouded in mystery, with Space Force officials tight-lipped about the X-37B's precise objectives.
From New York Post:
The spacecraft left from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for its seventh flight — two weeks after an earlier scheduled launch was delayed due to technical difficulties and powerful storms.
It is the first time the X-37B has been launched from a Falcon Heavy, which is significantly more powerful than the previous rockets that have propelled the reusable space plane, and capable of sending it a higher orbit than ever before.
The X-37B’s latest mission is expected to last several years, much like its previous two-and-a-half-year flight, which ended when it landed at Kennedy Space Center a year ago.
Space Force officials have offered only vague descriptions of the tests and experiments X-37B will conduct.
“The X-37B tests include operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness technologies and investigating radiation effects to NASA materials,” the Space Force said in a statement.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman previously explained that the flight, dubbed OTV-7, will carry “groundbreaking” experiments that will “equip the United States with the knowledge to enhance current and future space operations.”
Some experts have speculated the vessel is in search of threats from hostile nations’ satellites.
