A secret space vehicle of the US army designed to remain in orbit for several hundred days It was successfully launched on Thursday night in a Falcon 9 rocket of the company Spacex.
The take -off from the Cabo Cañaveral base, in Florida, was held at 23h50 premises, according to the images broadcast live by the group owned by multimillionaire Elon Musk.
The X-37B space plane was designed by United Launch Alliance, a Boeing subsidiary.
OTV-8 mission: quantum technology in space
The US space force reported that its OTV-8 mission will carry out various tests, including laser communications and the most advanced quantum sensor tested in space, although the duration of the mission was not specified.
“These operational demonstrations and experiments include next generation technologies including laser communications and the most developed quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space,” reads a statement from that military section last month.
“Mission 8 will contribute to improve resilience, efficiency, and security of space -based communication architectures,” he added.
Alternative GPS Navigation for Military Missions
According to a statement from Boeing, The US space force, together with the Air Force rapid capacity office, is testing in orbit the inertial quantum sensor of greater performance ever tested in space.
The device promises to offer precise positioning and navigation in gps environments, a key capacity if the satellites were attacked or unused by space waste.
“The quantum inertial detection allows robust navigation beyond the earth orbit or in scenarios without GPS,” said Colonel Ramsey Hom, commander of Space Delta 9.
With a size similar to that of a small bus, the X-37B looks like a reduced version of the space ferries that were removed in 2011.
In previous missions, the drone has carried out evidence for the NASA American space agency.
The artifact is nine meters long and about 4.5 meters between its wings.
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