A Secretive US Space Plane Will Soon Test Quantum Navigation Technology

The US Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane is set to launch its eighth mission no earlier than August 21 from Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The X-37B, a small, uncrewed vehicle about 29 feet long and built by Boeing, has flown multiple long-duration missions since its debut in 2010, with previous flights lasting up to 908 days. For this upcoming mission, the space plane will carry a service module to increase its experimental payload capacity, hosting projects from the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Innovation Unit. Key objectives for this flight include testing high-bandwidth inter-satellite laser communications, which aims to enhance the resilience, reliability, and speed of US satellite communications by leveraging commercial space networks. Additionally, the mission will demonstrate a cutting-edge quantum inertial navigation sensor based on electromagnetic wave interference and atom interferometry. This technology promises precise navigation and timing in GPS-denied or contested environments, such as near the Moon or