The Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Check Car is making ready for its eighth mission, with launch scheduled no sooner than August 21 from Florida’s House Coast, in response to a press launch.
Designated OTV-8, the upcoming mission will carry a service module designed to increase experiment capability. mKey demonstrations embody a high-bandwidth inter-satellite laser communications system and what Boeing describes because the highest-performing quantum inertial sensor ever examined in house.
“With every successive flight, the X-37B has demonstrated adaptability and adaptability by internet hosting various experiments and pioneering new orbital regimes,” mentioned Michelle Parker, vp of Boeing House Mission Techniques.
“This mission continues that legacy by fielding cutting-edge applied sciences that advance our nation’s house functionality and enhance the resilience of future architectures.”
The X-37B is a reusable, uncrewed spaceplane operated in partnership between Boeing and the U.S. House Power. Since its first launch in 2010, it has spent greater than 4,200 cumulative days in orbit.
For OTV-8, the U.S. House Power has partnered with the Air Power Analysis Laboratory and the Protection Innovation Unit. Normal Probability Saltzman, Chief of House Operations, mentioned the laser communications take a look at will improve the House Power’s capability to work with business networks. “It’ll strengthen the resilience, reliability, adaptability, and knowledge transport speeds of our satellite tv for pc communications architectures,” he mentioned.
Additionally aboard the mission is a quantum inertial sensor, designed to assist exact navigation in GPS-denied environments. Colonel Ramsey Hom, Commander of House Delta 9, mentioned the demonstration has direct relevance for deep house operations. “Whether or not navigating past Earth-based orbits in cis-lunar house or working in GPS-denied environments, quantum inertial sensing permits for strong navigation capabilities the place GPS navigation just isn’t attainable,” he mentioned.
The mission builds on the success of OTV-7, which concluded in March 2025, and displays a broader shift towards leveraging experimental house belongings for each strategic benefit and long-duration functionality growth.