The Air Force and United Launch Alliance have postponed the next X-37B mission by an additional several weeks, now eyeing Nov. 27 as the day that an Atlas V rocket will carry the experimental spaceplane into orbit. The Air Force had planned to conduct the launch in October. However, an upper-stage engine anomaly during the launch of a GPS IIF satellite in early October caused service and industry officials to put off the X-37 mission, designated OTV-3, until mid November until the anomaly investigation was complete. Now, they are saying more time is needed. “Although the team . . . has been making good progress reviewing and analyzing the data, ULA leadership and the Air Force have decided to postpone the launch two weeks to allow for additional flight-data anomaly-investigation activities and thorough crossover assessment for the X-37B OTV launch vehicle to be completed,” states a release posted at ULA’s website on Nov. 2. OTV-3 will mark the third time that an X-37 orbital test vehicle spends time in space. Air Force officials have said there are no issues with the X-37 vehicle holding up the launch.
Advancements in commercial space technology could make President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense network far more likely to succeed than the failed “Star Wars” strategic umbrella initiative of the 1980s, U.S. Space Command’s top general said May 22....