Atlas V rocket launch of X-37B space plane

Atlas V rocket launch of X-37B space plane

The U.S.A. Space Force will launch an X-37B space plane on a secret mission Saturday.  Bad weather has delayed ULA's Atlas V launch for the X-37B space plane. Next launch attempt is Sunday, May 17, at 9:14 a.m. EDT (1314 GMT). 
This mission will carry the X-37B space plane into orbit for the Space Force. There are two operational copies of this uncrewed vehicle, which were built by Boeing, measure 8.9 meters long, and resemble a miniature space shuttle orbiter. The fleet has previously launched four times on the Atlas V rocket and, most recently, once on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in September 2017. The X-37B has remained in orbit for as long as 779 days before returning to Earth. It lands on a runway at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"The ability to test new systems in space and return them to Earth is unique to the X-37B program and enables the US to more efficiently and effectively develop space capabilities necessary to maintain superiority in the space domain," the Air Force said earlier this month.
US military officials have spoken a little more openly about this sixth flight of the secretive space plane in advance of its launch. According to the Air Force, this is the first time the X-37B will fly with a service module on the aft of the vehicle, which will allow for expanded research and experimentation. One of this mission's experiments will attempt to transform solar radiation into radio-frequency microwave energy, with the intent of studying the potential for beaming solar power back to Earth. This vehicle will also release the FalconSat 8 spacecraft, which was developed by Air Force Academy cadets.
Assuming the weather allows for United Launch Alliance to press ahead with an attempt on Saturday, the company will begin a webcast about 20 minutes before liftoff.


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excerpt:
"Some details are available about the upcoming OTV_6 mission. The flight will carry two NASA experiments to study space radiation and the effects of space exposure on materials and seeds for food, Space Force officials have said. 
The spacecraft will also deploy the small FalconSat-8 satellite built by the U.S. Air Force Academy and carry a novel power-beaming experiment built by the Naval Research Laboratory to demonstrate technology to "transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could then be transmitted to the ground," according to a mission description.
Visit Space.com Saturday, May 16, for live coverage of the X-37B OTV-6 launch, beginning at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT)."



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