It won’t have any crew, but the U.S. Space Force hitched a ride on SpaceX to send the Boeing-built X-37B spacecraft — which looks like a miniature space shuttle — back for a long-duration mission to orbit during a late-night launch Thursday.
Watch Falcon 9 launch the @SpaceForceDoD’s USSF-36 mission to orbit – the eighth mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-8) https://t.co/7w2HkqSLCJ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 22, 2025
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off with the spacecraft on the USSF-36 mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A at 11:50 p.m.
The first-stage booster made its sixth trip to space and will aim for a recovery at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Landing Zone 2, which means parts of Central Florida could be in store to hear one or more late-night sonic booms.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-A on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025 on the USSF-36 mission carrying the Boeing-built X37-B spacecraft to orbit. (Courtesy/SpaceX)
The spacecraft is designated an Orbital Test Vehicle and is about 29 feet long with a 14-foot wingspan. This is the second of two versions of the spacecraft that so far have combined to fly seven times since April 2010, spending more than 4,200 days in space.
The Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane is encapsulated into its fairing ahead of planned launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the uncrewed vehicle’s eighth mission to space. (Courtesy/U.S. Space Force)
In comparison, the space shuttle orbiters were 184 feet long with 78-foot wingspan. Boeing’s uncrewed spacecraft fits in normal rocket fairings, or nosecones, and has flown five times on United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets, once on SpaceX Falcon 9 and once on Falcon Heavy.
The Space Force did not announce the planned duration for this mission, designated OTV-8, but OTV-7, which used the other of Boeing’s two spacecraft and launched in 2023 atop a Falcon Heavy, didn’t land until this past March spending more than 434 days in orbit. The last time this particular spacecraft flew, launching in 2020, it didn’t return to Earth until more than 908 days later.
The spacecraft has made landings both at the former Space Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC as well as in California at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane lands at Vandenberg Space Force Base to complete its seventh mission on March 7, 2025. A second version of the X-37B is slated to launch for its eight mission from Kennedy Space Center on Thursday night. (Courtesy/U.S. Space Force)
Just what the X-37B carries to orbit is mostly classified, but the Department of Defense states it uses the vehicle to test technologies for long-duration missions and bring them safely back to Earth. The latest mission will have more capacity for experiments, flying with a service module attached to the rear for the third time.
For this mission, the Space Force did announce some payloads. One is in partnership with the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office testing out next-generation laser communications and another is “the highest performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space” for the Defense Innovation Unit, according to a press release.
The lasers aim to target existing commercial satellite networks in low-Earth orbit, with the Space Force deeming them more reliable, secure and capable of transmitting more data than traditional radio transmissions.
“OTV-8’s laser communications demonstration will mark an important step in the U.S. Space Force’s ability to leverage proliferated space networks as part of a diversified and redundant space architectures,” said Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman in the release. “In so doing, it will strengthen the resilience, reliability, adaptability and data transport speeds of our satellite communications architecture.”
The physics-focused quantum inertial sensor is design to figure out navigation without relying on GPS, but instead detect the rotation and acceleration of atoms while on orbit.
The DOD touts it as technology the could be useful outside of low-Earth orbit as there is no global positioning support in cislunar space, the area between the Earth and the moon, or in deep space.
“OTV 8’s quantum inertial sensor demonstration is a welcome step forward for operational resilience in space,” said Space Force Col. Ramsey Horn, the commander of Space Delta 9. “Whether navigating beyond Earth based orbits in cislunar space or operating in GPS-denied environments, quantum inertial sensing allows for robust navigation capabilities when GPS navigation is not possible.”
The Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane lands at Vandenberg Space Force Base to complete its seventh mission on March 7, 2025. A second version of the X-37B is slated to launch for its eight mission from Kennedy Space Center on Thursday night. (Courtesy/U.S. Space Force)
For Boeing’s part, the spaceplane has been a successful highlight while some of its other projects including Starliner and NASA’s Space Launch System rocket have faced budget overruns and mission delays.
This launch comes less than six months since the last mission’s completion.
“With each successive flight, the X-37B has demonstrated adaptability and flexibility by hosting diverse experiments and pioneering new orbital regimes,” said Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems. “This mission continues that legacy by fielding cutting-edge technologies that advance our nation’s space capability and improve the resilience of future architectures.”
Originally Published: August 21, 2025 at 6:00 AM EDT