X-37B – Spaceflight Now

U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane lands following 434-day orbital mission

March 7, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

The secretive winged spacecraft launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Dec. 29, 2023 to conduct a classified mission. The landing concludes the seventh flight of the Boeing-built spacecraft since 2010.

SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket, X-37B military spaceplane

December 28, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

SpaceX launched the X-37B military spaceplane onboard its Falcon Heavy rocket late Thursday night. Liftoff of the USSF-52 mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center occurred 8:07 p.m. EST (0107 UTC) on Thursday at the opening of a ten-minute launch window.

Falcon Heavy launch of secretive X-37B military spaceplane on hold

December 11, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Falcon Heavy is returning to the hangar and the launch of the USSF-52 mission with the X-37B spaceplane is on hold. A ground issue scrubbed an earlier launch attempt and now required work on the vehicle itself.

SpaceX conducts static fire test ahead of fifth Falcon Heavy launch of 2023

December 3, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

Following two Falcon 9 launches from both California and Florida, SpaceX closed out the first weekend of December with a Falcon Heavy static fire test. The ignition of the 27 Merlin engines comes a week ahead of the planned launch of the U.S. military’s secretive X-37B spaceplane.

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Starlink mission

December 2, 2023 Spaceflight Now

SpaceX continued a busy weekend with the launch of another batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station late Saturday night. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 occurred at 11:00 p.m. EST (0400 UTC).

U.S. military’s X-37B mini-shuttle to launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy for the first time

November 9, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

The U.S. military’s experimental spaceplane will soon soar to orbit using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, a Pentagon news release announced. The X-37B spacecraft will launch from the Kennedy Space Center no earlier than December 7.

Pentagon plans to keep X-37B spaceplane under Air Force management

August 18, 2020 Stephen Clark

The U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane program will remain under Air Force management for the foreseeable future, and won’t join other Pentagon space programs turned over to the Space Force after the establishment of the new service branch last year.

Photos: Atlas 5 rocket lifts off with U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane

May 20, 2020 Stephen Clark

Launching the sixth mission of the U.S. military’s super-secret X-37B spaceplane program, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifted off Sunday morning from Cape Canaveral and successfully delivered its clandestine cargo to orbit.

Upgraded X-37B spaceplane rockets into orbit aboard Atlas 5 launcher

May 17, 2020 Stephen Clark

Darting through low clouds, the US Air Force’s reusable X-37B spaceplane rode a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket into orbit Sunday, debuting upgrades to accommodate additional scientific experiments, a dishwasher-sized tech demo satellite, and classified military objectives.

Blustery weather keeps Atlas 5 rocket grounded, SpaceX launch slips to Tuesday

May 16, 2020 Stephen Clark

Gusty winds associated with a subtropical low pressure system prevented United Launch Alliance from sending an Atlas 5 rocket into orbit Saturday from Cape Canaveral with the U.S. Air Force’s clandestine X-37B spaceplane. ULA plans to try again Sunday, and a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from a nearby pad has been delayed to Tuesday.