Payam Javan: In a significant development, the U.S. military’s secretive X-37B robot spaceplane embarked on its seventh mission, marking a historic launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

The Falcon Heavy, a powerful three-core rocket, successfully propelled the spaceplane to a higher orbit than ever before. The mission, conducted by the U.S. Space Force under the National Security Space Launch program, adds a new chapter to the U.S.–Sino rivalry in space, coming on the heels of China’s Shenlong robot spaceplane mission.

The Boeing-built X-37B, resembling a miniature space shuttle, is designed for extended orbital flights, deploying payloads, and conducting technology experiments. This mission, the first aboard Falcon Heavy, expands the spaceplane’s capabilities, potentially reaching geosynchronous orbit at over 22,000 miles above Earth.