New Delhi:
SpaceX successfully has successfully launched a secret US Air Force space plane on Thursday ahead of the arrival in Florida of Hurricane Irma.
Live images was broadcasted by the California aerospace company which showed a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the unmanned X-37B drone lifting off at 10:00 am (1400 GMT) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
The mission is slated to last 270 days, but the Air Force warned in a statement that "the actual duration depends on test objectives, on-orbit vehicle performance and conditions at the landing facility."
The recoverable first stage of the launch vehicle then landed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station less than 10 minutes later.
The X-37B is also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is among two known craft of its type in the US Air Force's fleet and part of a classified program whose details are shrouded in secrecy.
A resuable shuttle, Thursday's launch is its fifth mission since its maiden flight in April 2010.
"The fifth OTV mission continues to advance the X-37B's performance and flexibility as a space technology demonstrator and host platform for experimental payloads," the Air Force said in a statement.
"This mission carries small satellite ride shares and will demonstrate greater opportunities for rapid space access and on-orbit testing of emerging space technologies."
The Pentagon said it was grateful to have two companies with the ability to launch, introducing competition, and lower prices.
"The benefit we're seeing now is competition," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said during a June Senate hearing. "There are some very exciting things happening in commercial space that bring the opportunity for assured access to space at a very competitive price.
While the launch of the X-37B was not competed - ULA President Tory Bruno has said that his company was not given the option to bid - it marks SpaceX's first military mission after years of launching payloads for NASA and commercial satellites. All four of the X-37B's previous launches were aboard ULA's Atlas V rocket.
The Pentagon said it was grateful to have two companies with the ability to launch, introducing competition, and lower prices.
"The benefit we're seeing now is competition," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said during a June Senate hearing. "There are some very exciting things happening in commercial space that bring the opportunity for assured access to space at a very competitive price."
