Elon Musk’s SpaceX launches secretive US military spacecraft

Musk

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted into space on Thursday night carrying the US military’s secretive X-37B drone.

The rocket successfully launched at 11:50 pm (0350 GMT on Friday), according to SpaceX’s livestream of the event.

The Falcon 9 lit up the night sky over NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, where it was launched from.

The US Space Force has said the drone’s mission will include “a wide range of test and experimentation objectives.”

“These operational demonstrations and experiments comprise next-generation technologies, including laser communications and the highest-performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space,” the service said in a statement last month.

“Mission 8 will contribute to improving the resilience, efficiency, and security of U.S. space-based communications architectures,” it added. Punch