OTV-7
Orbital Test Vehicle 7 (OTV-7), also referred to as United States Space Force-52 (USSF-52) or USA-349, is the fourth flight of the second Boeing X-37B, an American unmanned vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing spaceplane. It was launched to highly elliptical high Earth orbit aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket (for the first time) from LC-39A on 28 December 2023.
Launch of OTV-7 | |
| Mission type | Classified |
|---|---|
| Operator | U.S. Space Force |
| COSPAR ID | 2023-210A |
| SATCAT no. | 58666 |
| Mission duration | 1 month and 18 days (in progress) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Boeing X-37B |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Launch mass | 6,350 kg (14,000 lb) |
| Power | Deployable solar array, batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 28, 2023, 01:07 UTC |
| Rocket | Falcon Heavy (B1064.5 (sides) B1084 (core), B1065.5 (sides)) |
| Launch site | LC-39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 2027 (planned) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Highly elliptical high Earth Orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 323 km (201 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 38,838 km (24,133 mi) |
| Inclination | 59.1° |
OTV program | |
The spaceplane is operated by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and United States Space Force, which considers the mission classified and as such has not revealed the objectives. The spaceplane will be sent to orbit with a wide range of test and experimentation objectives. These tests include operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness technologies and investigating the radiation effects to materials provided by NASA.