As the US Space Force’s shadowy spaceplane, the X-37B, prepares for an eighth lengthy orbital mission, its role in the superpower’s fast-expanding space defense efforts such as Golden Dome may be limited — and the future of winged spacecraft is unclear.
The uncrewed vehicle is slated to take off Thursday atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 11:50 p.m. local time, according to SpaceX.