UPDATE: SpaceX is now targeting Monday, December 11 at 8:14 p.m. ET for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the USSF-52 mission to orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A backup launch opportunity is available during the same time on Tuesday, December 12.
“Now targeting Monday, December 11 for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the USSF-52 mission, with weather conditions forecasted to improve to 70% favorable for liftoff on Monday night,” SpaceX wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The team will use the time to complete additional pre-launch check outs.”
Most details of X-37B missions are classified, however, USSF-52 there is an unclassified experiment: NASA’s “Seeds-2” project, which will test the effects of radiation and long-duration spaceflight on plant seeds.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy ready for Sunday launch USSF-52 Mission
SpaceX is targeting Sunday, December 10 at 8:14 p.m. ET for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the USSF-52 mission to orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A backup launch opportunity is available during the same time on Monday, December 11. This will make it the first time the Falcon Heavy has been used to launch the U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane.
A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about 15 minutes prior to liftoff. Watch live.
This will be the fifth launch and landing of these Falcon Heavy side boosters, which previously supported USSF-44, USSF-67, Hughes JUPTER 3, and NASA’s Psyche mission. Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Sta