A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center late Thursday, carrying the U.S. military’s secretive X-37B spaceplane on its eighth mission. The Boeing-built Orbital Test Vehicle separated from the rocket shortly after the 11:50 p.m. launch, according to the U.S. Space Force.
Much about the X-37B program remains classified, but officials disclosed two key experiments for this flight: a laser communication system designed to move data more securely and at higher speeds than radio transmissions, and a quantum navigation sensor that could allow spacecraft to operate without GPS. Both technologies could be critical for future missions in contested or GPS-denied environments.
The X-37B, operated by Space Force’s Space Delta 9, has flown since 2010, but its payloads and timelines are largely kept secret. Its current mission, USSF-36, underscores growing U.S. investment in technologies that enhance resilience and independence in space operations.
