SpaceX launches the mysterious US military drone into space. These five countries have the highest child poverty rates

Private space company SpaceX has launched a mysterious US military drone into space on a research mission. After weeks of delays, the Falcon Heavy heavy-lift rocket was launched into space on Friday evening (02:07 CET) on the X-37B space drone from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the state of Florida.

SpaceX showed the launch live on its website without mentioning the drone. Little is known about the US Air Force’s reusable and autonomous spacecraft. It was also unclear where exactly it flew on its seventh mission.

Before the launch, originally scheduled for December 7, the US Department of Defense announced only that the mission included “several groundbreaking experiments.” These include the “operation of the reusable spaceplane in new orbits”. The effects of space radiation on different materials would also be investigated.

China has its own space drone

The solar-powered X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle was developed for the US Air Force by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

It’s about the size of a minivan and looks like a miniature version of NASA’s Space Shuttles, which were retired in 2011. On previous missions, X-37B had conducted tests for NASA on the effects of radiation on seeds and other materials.

On December 14, China also launched its own space drone called Shenlong into orbit. According to state news agency Xinhua, Shenlong would conduct experiments “with technical support for the peaceful use of space.” Xinhua was only very vague about the duration of the mission. (sda/afp)