Less than six months after concluding a year-plus mission in orbit, the Space Force's top-secret X-37B space plane is gearing up for its eighth mission in just over 15 years.
As the Orlando Sentinel reports, the enigmatic, Boeing-built spacecraft is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Pad 39A later this evening, carrying some intriguing-sounding scientific equipment with it into orbit.
The Space Force, in collaboration with the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office, is testing out the "highest performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space," according to a Boeing press release. "The revolutionary quantum inertial sensor will demonstrate precise positioning, navigation, and timing in a GPS-denied environment."
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