SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket illuminated the night skies on Thursday, embarking on a covert mission to space with the U.S. military’s secretive X-37B space plane onboard.
The monumental liftoff occurred from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center located in Florida. The mission’s specifics remain veiled in secrecy, leaving many speculating about the space plane’s undisclosed destination.
Interestingly, post-launch, Southern California residents inundated 911 and the Federal Aviation Administration with numerous reports detailing sightings of a luminous blueish-white light and descending flames. The potential correlation between these sightings and the X-37B’s launch remains ambiguous.
Crafted by Boeing, the X-37B bears a striking resemblance to NASA’s decommissioned space shuttles, albeit at a quarter of their size, spanning a length of 29 feet. Boasting an autonomous landing system, this uncrewed spacecraft exemplifies advanced aerospace engineering. Unlike conventional spacecraft, the X-37B showcases a unique operational profile—vertical liftoff akin to rockets, followed by horizontal plane-like landings. Positioned within a repurposed shuttle hangar at Kennedy, two X-37Bs stand ready, poised for their next classified endeavors in orbit, ranging between altitudes of 150 to 500 miles above Earth.
