Super-secret US Space Force Spy Plane Soaring Over Missouri Today
You'll never know what this super-secret spy plane is doing because the US military isn't talking, but there are reports that it will soar over Missouri on Sunday based on a flight path that has become public.
The launch of the X-37B is not a secret today. The US Space Force announced in a press release that there is a launch window on Sunday, December 10 saying:
The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, in partnership with the United States Space Force and SpaceX, is making final preparations to launch the seventh mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. Due to launch delays and pad availability, USSF-52 will now launch on Dec. 10, 2023.
What does this have to do with Missouri?
Sky and Telescope published a flight path that shows this super-secret plane tracking directly over Missouri. They even provided some tips on how to see it.
What does the X-37B spy plane do?
The only thing that the US Space Force will say is they're testing "operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness technologies and investigating the radiation effects". Wikipedia says "Most of the mission parameters...have not been disclosed...The vehicle is capable of being on-orbit for up to 270 days."
It was disclosed that this mission of the secret X-37B would begin with a SpaceX rocket booster.
If you see what looks like a star moving over Missouri today, that could be the X-37B. Just don't expect the US government to answer any questions about what it does.
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