13
posted ago by G45Colt ago by G45Colt +13 / -0

The Space Systems Command satellite was launched 12 days before the OTV lands, after a nearly 3 year mission in orbit.

X-37B lands Nov 12th after 908 days in space:

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/340906-us-militarys-mysterious-x-37b-space-plane-lands-following-record-908-days-in-orbit

The US military’s experimental X-37B space plane is back on Earth, having completed a mysterious 908-day mission. While we’ll probably never know everything the autonomous spacecraft got up to while it was in space, it did it long enough to set a new record for time spent in orbit. Previously, the X-37B’s record was a measly 719 days in orbit.

On Nov 1st, Space Systems Command sends up a secret satellite https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/340615-falcon-heavy-rocket-aces-first-launch-in-3-years

The government declined to explain what, exactly, it was launching with the latest Falcon Heavy. All we know is the satellites (USSF-44) are part of Space Systems Command’s innovation and prototyping division, which focuses on the rapid development of space technology. Whatever it is, it weighs a lot. This is only the third operational launch of the Falcon Heavy, not including the 2018 maiden flight during which Elon Musk launched his Tesla Roadster into space. The first mission deployed a massive telecom satellite for Arabsat, and the other was another secret Department of Defense project in 2019.