US ‘spy’ space shuttle launch by is DELAYED by Space X at the last second ‘due to ground side issue’
A US Air Force “spy plane” due to be launched by SpaceX on a secret mission was forced to stop minutes before it was due to take off.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket was scheduled to take off at 8:14 pm ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
But a “ground problem” led to the mission being abandoned at the eleventh hour.
“Today’s launch of Falcon Heavy has been canceled due to ground-side issues,” SpaceX said in a statement.
“The vehicle and payload remain healthy. The team is rebooting for the next USSF-52 mission launch, which will not take place until tomorrow evening.’
The X-37B is a military spacecraft that delivers classified payloads into Earth orbit. It was due to take off on Monday evening, but a “problem on the ground” led to the mission being cancelled.
SpaceX confirmed that the plane’s launch has been delayed until Tuesday evening at the earliest.
The mission would be the X-37B’s seventh classified mission since its debut in 2010, and most of the ship’s payload is classified.
The mission was initially delayed by ten minutes, and SpaceX was optimistic that it would still go ahead with the live webcast of takeoff.
“Today’s launch of Falcon Heavy USSF-52 is scheduled for 8:24 p.m. Eastern Time. The weather is 85% favorable and the webcast will begin approximately 15 minutes before the start,” the message said.
But just ten minutes after the delay was announced, the rocket company said the mission would be cancelled.
Some experts speculate that the USSF ship is being used to carry out espionage missions, monitor Chinese space operations, or test intelligence systems.
The X-37B could theoretically carry weapons into space, perhaps to protect US satellites from anti-satellite weapons.
China and Russia accused the US government of using the ship as a bomber.
This unmanned craft has been flying a number of secret missions for the military group since 2010, allowing the group to test new technologies in space.
The delay was the second in 24 hours after Sunday’s launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, was similarly delayed.
The X-37B is a military spacecraft that delivers classified payloads into Earth orbit. His last mission lasted 908 days.
Previous missions have demonstrated that the X-37B is a military workshop for new space technologies.
The X-37B can undetectably change its orbit, changing direction in a way that makes it difficult for observers to detect.
The plane, powered by solar cells with lithium-ion batteries, was in orbit at an altitude of about 200 miles.
In 2015, the US Air Force confirmed that the ship was being used to test a new electric propulsion system.
The USSF said in a statement that the X-37B mission will include “a wide range of test and experimentation targets.”
“These tests include operating a reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the effects of radiation on materials provided by NASA.”
According to a USSF statement made to SpaceFlightNow, the launch of Falcon Heavy marks a new era for the vehicle, which was previously launched on the Falcon 9 or Atlas V, both of which have significantly lower payload capacity.
“Use of the Falcon Heavy rocket will expand the X-37B’s flight envelope, bring it into a new orbital regime, and provide unique experimental capabilities for the X-37B,” the USSF said. said.
Monday night’s mission would have been the X-37B’s seventh classified mission since its debut in 2010, and most of the ship’s payload is classified.
The Falcon Heavy rocket can carry a much heavier payload into space than the Falcon 9 or Atlas V. This suggests the X-37B will fly higher than on past missions.
Monday’s delay followed an earlier setback on Sunday that delayed takeoff by 24 hours.
The exact reason for the initial delay was not given, but SpaceX hoped the mission would continue as planned on Monday under more favorable weather conditions.
“Falcon Heavy is now scheduled to launch the USSF-52 mission on Monday, December 11, with weather conditions forecast to improve to 70% favorable for launch on Monday evening,” the update said.
“The team will use this time to complete additional checks prior to launch.”
Although details of the X-37B’s orbit and activities are classified, officials documentation seems to confirm that he had to take a different path than in the past.
In addition to its secret payload, the X-37B orbital test vehicle would conduct an experiment to monitor the effects of cosmic radiation on seeds.
The first mission in 2010 lasted 224 days, the second a year later 468 days, and the mission that ended in 2019 lasted a total of 780 days.