Overview

• SpaceX lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 11:50 p.m. ET on Aug. 21, and the Space Force confirmed the uncrewed vehicle reached its intended orbit and is healthy on orbit.
• Designated OTV-8/USSF-36, the mission hosts government-led demonstrations from the Defense Innovation Unit and Air Force Research Laboratory using a Boeing service module that increases payload capacity.
• Laser communications experiments will interface with proliferated commercial satellites in low Earth orbit to boost data rates and add resilience, officials said.
• A high-performance quantum inertial sensor will assess precision navigation when GPS signals are unavailable or contested.
• Mission duration and key operational details remain undisclosed; the previous X-37B flight ended March 7 after 434 days and demonstrated a first-of-its-kind aerobraking maneuver.