Falcon Heavy will send a classified US Boeing X-37B drone into space that can fly for years without landing

Boeing's mysterious X-37B drone is preparing for its next mission. It will begin in less than a month.

Here's What We Know

The US Space Force is preparing to send the X-37B into orbit for the seventh time. The mission, called USSF-52, is scheduled for 7 December 2023. The orbiter will be sent into space using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

The US is trying to keep the features and tasks of the spacecraft secret. Due to the limited information, Russians have started speculating that the drone can allegedly carry out strikes from space. Last year, the US Space Force said the X-37B was used to conduct experiments about 400 kilometres above the Earth's surface.

The Boeing spacecraft helped conduct a series of tests to generate energy using solar panels and transmit it to Earth using microwave radiation. Also on a previous flight, NASA evaluated the effects of space on various materials.

The X-37B is the spacecraft of record. The previous mission with its participation lasted a record 908 days and ended on 12 November 2022. The previous record was set on its fifth mission when the drone remained in orbit for 780 days.