Jul 30, 2025 - Technology

Secretive Boeing spaceplane set for eighth mission

Colin Demarest

Night scene with a white and black NASA Boeing spacecraft on runway, three people in protective suits near orange cone and table with equipment, bright light in the background. — The X-37B, following a successful landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, in March. Photo: U.S. Space Force/DVIDS

The U.S. Space Force will experiment with laser communications and quantum sensing aboard a secretive Boeing-made spaceplane slated for launch this summer.

Why it matters: Much of the work executed by the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is classified.

A single photo of the Earth from space taken by an onboard camera caused a defense-media frenzy in February.

Driving the news: Boeing on Monday announced the timing and purpose of the X-37B's eighth mission, which comes less than six months after its seventh.

The launch, from Florida's Space Coast, is expected no sooner than Aug. 21.
The Air Force Research Laboratory and Defense Innovation Unit were named partners.

What they're saying: "With each successive flight, the X-37B has demonstrated adaptability and flexibility by hosting diverse experiments and pioneering new orbital regimes," Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems, said in a statement.

Laser communications allow for larger, more secure transfers of information.
Quantum inertial sensing could prove useful in places rife with electronic warfare, or where GPS is unavailable.

Catch up quick: The spaceplane first launched in 2010. Since then, it's spent more than 4,200 days in space.

Its last odyssey lasted 434 days. It returned to Earth in March.

Go deeper: Boeing nabs $2.8 billion nuke communications contract

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Secretive Boeing spaceplane set for eighth mission

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