SpaceX launched the Pentagon’s mysterious X-37B orbital space drone just before the Hurricane Irma hit Florida.

While people prepared for Hurricane Irma, the 45th Space Wing successfully launched a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A at 10 a.m. on Sept. 7.

The Falcon 9, a two-stage rocket designed by SpaceX for reliable and cost-efficient transport of satellites and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, carried into orbit a U.S. Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), marking the fifth space flight for the unmanned orbital vehicle program and its first onboard a Falcon 9.

The X-37B program completed its fourth classified mission on May 7, 2017, landing after 718 days in orbit and extending the total number of days spent in orbit to 2,085.

Approximately eight minutes after the launch, SpaceX successfully landed the Falcon 9 first-stage booster back at Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

“I’m incredibly proud of the 45th Space Wing’s contributions to the X-37B program,” Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, 45th Space Wing commander, said in a public release. “This marks the fifth successful launch of the OTV and its first onboard a Falcon 9. A strong relationship with our mission partners, such as the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, is vital toward maintaining the Eastern Range as the World’s Premiere Gateway to Space.”

Whilst the “OTV is designed to demonstrate reusable spacecraft technologies for America’s future in space and operate experiments, which can be returned to and examined on Earth,” the details of its mission remain classified.

Since its first flight in 2010, several theories about the role of the X-37B have emerged: according to someone, the orbital drone is a space-based weapons platform carrying a weaponized re-entry vehicle that could be released over or near a specific target; others believe the OTV is a space ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) platform able to carry a wide variety of sensor packages in its internal cargo bay; some analysts believe that the X-37B is *simply* a research platform used to perform tests in space environment.

LC-39 along with the rest of KSC facility’s buildings built after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 are supposed to withstand winds between 130 and 135 miles per hour.

Related articles

• Russian tug off Florida: supporting nuclear attack subs or observing SpaceX launch?
• NASA shows off Hi-Tech aircraft involved in Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise Emissions flight experiment
• NASA aborts spacewalk after astronaut’s helmet dangerously fills with water
• Italian Astronaut takes “out-of-the-world” photos during his first spacewalk
• British Airways pilot flying from London to Singapore takes photo of Soyuz returning to Earth
• A Space Odyssey: Italian Astronaut shares his terrifying near-drowning experience during spacewalk
• [Photo] Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center

A Russian tug has been operating off Florida for some weeks. What is it doing over so far from home?

The Russian “Nikolay Chiker” is an ocean tug that has often deployed alongside Russian Navy’s high value assets. According to Information Dissemination, the ship accompanied Russia’s spy ship Viktor Leonov to Cuba last month, before moving off Florida, where it was parked on Mar. 15, ahead of the launch of Dragon spacecraft (Space Shuttle Orbiter replacement) on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket scheduled of Mar. 16 from the SLC-40 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

However, the SpaceX launch was delayed and, since then, the ship has moved back and forth along U.S. East coast: it headed southbound, has made a port visit to Curacao, then it has operated in the Caribbean Sea and eventually returned more or less where it was on Mar. 15 and it is right now: off Cape Canaveral.

The fact that the tug moved off Cape Kennedy in the days of the scheduled launch of SpaceX and returned there in anticipation of the new launch window suggests that the “Nikolay Chiker” is somehow interested in observing the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft on the company’s third commercial resupply mission and fourth visit to the space station.

However, there’s someone who suggested that the ocean tug is actually supporting Russian nuclear attack submarines monitoring U.S. Navy East coast bases.

Hard to say.

For sure the Russian tug is not there by accident. During the Cold War, Russian and Americans have monitored each others special special operations, military exercises, invasions, maiden flights etc. This is not changed with the collapse of the USSR. On the contrary, close encounters (as the one in the Black Sea) and reciprocal snooping are probably going to increase.

Image credit: Marinetraffic.com

Related articles

• Ukrainian Mig-29 Fulcrum (in display team livery) performs low pass over pro-Russia separatists
• Photo of India’s new Aircraft Carrier Battle Group. Better than China’s?
• Russian Su-24 Fencer attack plane performs multiple passes near U.S. warship in Black Sea
• Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers deploy in Venezuela after a 13-hour flight across the Pacific
• Here’s Russia’s (badass) next-generation stealth strategic bomber
• A Russian “doomsday plane” is circling over Crimea right now
• Russian Tu-22M Backfire bombers escorted by Su-27 Flankers simulate night attack on Sweden.

On Oct. 7, Grasshopper, a 10-story Vertical Takeoff Vertical landing (VTVL) vehicle, completed its highest leap to date, rising to 744m altitude.

And, above all, the weird maneuver was recorded from a single camera remote controlled hexacopter.

Grasshopper VTVL vehicle was designed to test the technologies needed to return a rocket back to Earth intact. Indeeed, you can weirdly watch the rocket going up and down in an almost surreal way, as the footage, from a certain point, is played backward.

While most rockets are designed to burn up on atmosphere reentry or to fall in the ocean, SpaceX rockets are being designed to return to the launch pad for a vertical landing and the Grasshopper VTVL vehicle acts as a technological demonstrator to perform steps aimed at achieving that goal.

According to SpaceX, Grasshopper consists of a Falcon 9 rocket first stage tank, Merlin 1D engine, four steel and aluminum landing legs with hydraulic dampers, and a steel support structure.

Related articles

• Lockheed tests new Stealth Long Range Anti-Ship Missile from Vertical Launch System
• [Photo] First pilotless F-16 flies first remotely controlled mission at Tyndall Air Force Base
• Crazy video from inside an unmanned F-16 during a supersonic test flight
• From the enemy’s point of view: on the range with A-10C Warthog
• Interesting image shows F/A-18E Super Hornet about to land on carrier with afterburner lit
• RAF pilot performs first UK takeoff of F-35B Lightning at sea
• B-1 Lancer bomber launches first prototype of new Stealth Long Range Anti-Ship Missile