WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2020) The Boeing X-37B unmanned reusable spaceplane will be launched in ten days for its sixth mission to carry out multiple experiments, the US Space Force announced in a release on Wednesday.
"The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, in partnership with the US Space Force, is scheduled to launch the sixth mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-6) on May 16 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida," the release said.
US Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett pointed out that this X-37B mission will include more experiments than any prior missions.
The release noted that while the X-37B is an Air Force asset, the Space Force is responsible for the launch, on-orbit operations and landing.
"This will be the first X-37B mission to use a service module to host experiments. The service module is an attachment to the aft of the vehicle that allows additional experimental payload capability to be carried to orbit," the release revealed. "The mission will deploy the FalconSat-8, a small satellite developed by the US Air Force academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory to conduct several experiments on orbit."
The Space Force explained that the FalconSat-8 is an educational platform and it will carry five experimental payloads for US Air Force Academy to operate.
"In addition, two National Aeronautics and Space Administration experiments will be included to study the results of radiation and other space effects on a materials sample plate and seeds used to grow food," the release said. "Finally, the US Naval Research Laboratory, will transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could then be transmitted to the ground."
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mission 5 was concluded in October last year when the spaceplane landed at the Kennedy Space Center after spending record 780 days in space, during which it put a number of small satellites into orbit.
The X-37B spaceplane, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, was built by Boeing and has a weight of 11,000 Pounds, a length of 29 feet and a wingspan of almost 15 feet.
