A U.S. military mini shuttle took off Thursday night to carry out classified experiments in space, officials said.
The unmanned space plane, launched by SpaceX from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is the eighth flight for the X-37B test vehicle. According to the U.S. Space Force, this mission will test laser communications and navigation without GPS.
The duration of the flight has not been announced. The previous X-37B mission lasted just over a year before returning in March, while earlier missions have lasted from several months to years.
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Built by Boeing, the reusable space planes were first launched in 2010. Each is 29 feet (9 meters) long with a wingspan of nearly 15 feet (4.5 meters).
Source: Agency