Overview

• The U.S. Space Force confirmed that the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle—OTV-8—will lift off from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on August 21, 2025.
• OTV-8 will carry a laser communications payload designed to establish high-bandwidth, secure data links with satellites in low Earth orbit.
• The mission will deploy a quantum inertial sensor to provide precise, autonomous navigation when GPS signals are unavailable or degraded.
• OTV-8 follows a 434-day seventh mission that demonstrated aerobraking techniques to adjust orbits using atmospheric drag and conserve fuel.
• Developed by Boeing under the National Security Space Launch program, the two-vehicle X-37B fleet has now logged over 4,000 days in orbit testing advanced technologies.