U.S. Military's X-37B Spaceplane Embarks on Seventh Mission

Launched atop SpaceX Falcon Heavy, the mission tests new orbital regimes and carries a NASA experiment studying plant seeds in space.

The U.S. military's secretive X-37B robot spaceplane has been launched on its seventh mission, this time atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, capable of delivering it to a higher orbit than ever before.
The launch comes two weeks after China's own robot spaceplane, the Shenlong, was launched on its third mission to orbit since 2020, heightening the U.S.-Sino rivalry in space.
The X-37B, built by Boeing, is designed to deploy various payloads and conduct technology experiments on years-long orbital flights.
The mission, conducted by the U.S. Space Force under the military’s National Security Space Launch program, will involve tests of 'new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies.'
The X-37B is also carrying a NASA experiment to study how plant seeds are affected by prolonged exposure to the harsh environment of radiation in space, which has implications for future long-term missions to the moon and Mars.