A unmanned space vehicle of the US Army, designed to remain in orbit for hundreds of days without interruption, was launched on Thursday night with Falcon 9 rocket SpaceX by the Cape Canaveral to Florida.

OR launch of SpaceX was successful and took place at 23:50 local time (06:50 Greek time), as shown by the direct broadcasts of his group Masculine. Unmanned boat bears the name X-37b and has been developed by Boeing.

The X-37B is reminiscent of a small space bus and has already carried out seven long-term missions, measuring more than ten years of stay in space, according to data from the manufacturer.

Scientific tests and objectives of the mission

The US Armed Forces They did not disclose the duration of the new mission, and the official information released on the program is limited. However, Boeing announced that this eighth flight X-37b will include scientific experiments and tests on the subject of ‘Leiser Interdisciplinary Communications’ and ‘Improving space navigation’.

These tasks are aimed at enhance the durability, safety and efficiency of US space communicationsaccording to the company.

The X-37bDesigned specifically for military missions, it is nine meters long and draws energy from solar panels. Although a missile launch for his trip in space, he is able to return to Earth autonomously.

The previous mission of X-37b It was completed in March, with the boat landing in California, having stayed in orbit for more than a year.