Prepare for a surprising twist as the USSF-52 mission is set to launch aboard the Falcon Heavy rocket on December 8th from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The USSF-52 mission has been in the works for quite some time, facing delays due to payload issues. Now, it has been revealed that the payload for this mission is the X-37B. SpaceX was awarded a $130 million contract for the USSF-52 mission by the United States Air Force in June 2018.
X-37B after its most recent mission on the Launch and Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center (Credit: U.S. Air Force)
The X-37B has previously been launched into space using the Atlas V and the Falcon 9. Its most recent 908-day mission launched on the Atlas V in May 2020 and landed in November 2022.
While previous missions were in low Earth orbit, the exact planned orbit for this mission is classified, but it is expected to be higher, taking advantage of the Falcon Heavy’s capabilities.
There are 2 known operational X-37B orbital vehicles, but it is currently unknown which vehicle will be flying aboard the Falcon Heavy.
As for the Falcon Heavy cores assigned to this mission, Booster 1064 and 1065 will be the side boosters, landing back at Landing Zones 1 and 2. The center core, Booster 1084, will be expended and splash down in the Atlantic Ocean.
B1064 and B1065 performing a boost back burn during the USSF-67 mission (Credit: Richard Angle)
Boosters 1064 and 1065 have both made 4 flights to date, previously launching various missions.
SpaceX is in the process of switching Launch Complex 39A from the Falcon 9 configuration to the Falcon Heavy setup, which typically takes a couple of weeks.
If the launch proceeds as scheduled, this will be the 5th Falcon Heavy launch of 2023.
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