LAUNCH OF X-37B MISSION 7 (OTV-7/USSF-52), Dec 28, 2023, KSC, 8:07 pm ET

Update, December 27:  The SpaceX website has refined the launch time for tomorrow, December 28, which now is targeted for 8:07 pm ET. A backup opportunity is at 8:06 pm ET on December 29. SpaceX’s webcast begins 15 minutes before launch on X @SpaceX.  Although SpaceX said earlier (see below) the launch window was open for 4 hours, having chosen a specific launch time, it is open only for 10 minutes at that point.

Update, Decenber 16:  The latest launch date is December 28, 2023.  The four-hour launch window opens at 7:00 pm ET. SpaceX webcast will begin 15 minutes before launch.

Update, December 12, 10:20 pm ET:  The launch now has been postponed indefinitely.

We are standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon Heavy launch of USSF-52 to perform additional system checkouts. The payload remains healthy while teams work toward the next best launch opportunity. We’re also keeping an eye on the weather and will announce a new launch date once… pic.twitter.com/xo6TwkqatD

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 13, 2023

Update, December 12:  The launch has been postponed yet again.  They now are targeting December 13 at 8:13 pm ET. The weather forecast is only 40% favorable, however.

Now targeting no earlier than Wednesday, December 13 for Falcon Heavy to launch USSF-52. The extra time allows teams to complete system checkouts ahead of liftoff. Teams are also keeping an eye on weather, which is 40% favorable for launch → https://t.co/bJFjLCilmc pic.twitter.com/iAMdB273cn

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 12, 2023

Update, December 11:  The launch was postponed again due to a “ground side issue.”  The next opportunity is tomorrow, December 12.  Launch time is the same: 8:14 pm ET.

Standing down from tonight’s Falcon Heavy launch due to a ground side issue; vehicle and payload remain healthy. Team is resetting for the next launch opportunity of the USSF-52 mission, which is no earlier than tomorrow night.

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 12, 2023

Update, December 10:  The launch has been postponed one day due to weather.  Now set for Dec 11, 2023 at the same tie, 8:14 pm ET.

Update, December 7:  The USSF-52 launch is set for December 10 at 8:14 pm ET with a 10 minute launch window.

Update, November 29:  The launch has slipped by three days to December 10 due to “launch delays and pad availability.”

Original Entry: The U.S. Space Force will launch the 7th X-37B mission (OTV-7) on December 7, 2023 from Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.  The launch window was not provided.

X-37B looks like a small space shuttle. Previous flights have extended the time on orbit to more than two years for the most recent flight that landed in 2022.  DOD reveals very little about what these highly secretive missions do while they’re in orbit.

Space Force’s November 8, 2023 announcement of this upcoming launch, designated both USSF-52 and OTV-7 (the 7th flight of the Orbital Test Vehicle), says this flight will “expand the envelope” of its capabilities:

The X-37B Mission 7 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, designated USSF-52, with a wide range of test and experimentation objectives. These tests include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA.

“We are excited to expand the envelope of the reusable X-37B’s capabilities, using the flight-proven service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to fly multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, the X-37B Program Director. 

X-37B Mission 7, also known as OTV-7, will expand the United States Space Force’s knowledge of the space environment by experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies. These tests are integral in ensuring safe, stable, and secure operations in space for all users of the domain.