A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roared into the night sky late Thursday (Aug. 21), carrying the U.S. military’s mysterious X-37B spaceplane on its eighth mission. Liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center occurred at 11:50 p.m. EDT (0350 UTC on Aug. 22), marking the latest chapter in a program cloaked in secrecy since its debut in 2010.
Credit: US Space Force
The Boeing-built Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), operated by the U.S. Space Force (USSF), separated from the Falcon 9 upper stage just hours after launch. Designated USSF-36, the mission is part of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 contract between SpaceX and the Department of Defense.
“This was our fourth NSSL Phase 2 mission so far this year, and we have more coming right behind it,” said Col. Ryan Hiserote of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC). “The pace we are achieving now is unprecedented, and these capabilities strengthen America’s warfighting edge in space.”
The Falcon 9 booster, flying for the sixth time, nailed a pinpoint landing at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 2 just 8.5 minutes after liftoff, sending a thunderous sonic boom across Florida’s Space Coast.
So far in 2025, SpaceX and U.S. defense agencies have completed three NSSL missions, including the March launch of NROL-69 and the May deployment of a new GPS III satellite. According to SSC, the $179.7 million contract covering USSF-36 and NROL-69 underscores the Pentagon’s growing reliance on SpaceX to accelerate access to orbit.
Dr. Walt Lauderdale, mission director for USSF-36, praised the “One Falcon Team” for executing a flawless launch while preparing for an even busier year ahead. “We now have more missions scheduled in the next 12 months than ever before in NSSL history,” he said.
The reusable X-37B spaceplane, resembling a miniature space shuttle, has logged more than a decade of classified missions. Two vehicles make up the fleet, alternating flights that often last hundreds of days. Its last mission ended in March, when its sister ship landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base after 780 days in orbit.
Much of the X-37B’s purpose remains classified, but officials confirmed that OTV-8 will test two breakthrough technologies:
- Laser communications designed to link with proliferated commercial satellite networks in low Earth orbit, enabling faster and more secure data transfers than traditional radio systems.
- Quantum inertial navigation, which uses atomic measurements of rotation and acceleration to guide spacecraft in GPS-denied or deep-space environments.
“OTV-8’s demonstrations are crucial for building resilience into our space architecture,” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations. “These advances ensure secure communications and robust navigation, whether in low Earth orbit or in cislunar space.”
Since its first mission in April 2010, the X-37B has steadily pushed the limits of endurance and experimentation:
- OTV-1 (2010): 224 days
- OTV-2 (2011–2012): 469 days
- OTV-3 (2012–2014): 675 days
- OTV-4 (2015–2017): 718 days
- OTV-5 (2017–2019): 780 days
- OTV-6 (2020–2022): 909 days
How long the X-37B will remain aloft this time has not been disclosed.
“Through mission-focused innovation, the X-37B continues to redefine the art of the possible in the final frontier,” said William Blauser, Acting Director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.
For now, the latest voyage of America’s secretive spaceplane adds another layer of intrigue to one of the Pentagon’s most enigmatic spacecraft — and raises fresh questions about what new capabilities are quietly being tested high above Earth.
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