Boeing preparing to launch spaceplane this month

Jeoffrey Maitem - : Aug 1, 2025 - : 3:35 pm

The U.S. multinational aerospace and defense firm is set to launch a spaceplane for the eighth mission (OTV-8) from Florida’s Space Coast. According to Boeing, an American multinational corporation, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-8), set to launch no earlier...

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The U.S. multinational aerospace and defense firm is set to launch a spaceplane for the eighth mission (OTV-8) from Florida’s Space Coast.

According to Boeing, an American multinational corporation, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-8), set to launch no earlier than August 21, will carry a service module to support a laser communications demonstration and the most advanced quantum inertial sensor ever used in space.

The mission, less than six months after the successful completion of OTV-7, will demonstrate high-bandwidth inter-satellite laser communications technologies, including the most advanced quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space.

Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems, said the U.S. Space Force will leverage insights from this mission to inform future space architectures.

"With each successive flight, the X-37B has demonstrated adaptability and flexibility by hosting diverse experiments and pioneering new orbital regimes," Parker said in a statement released July 28.

"This mission continues that legacy by fielding cutting-edge technologies that advance our nation's space capability and improve the resilience of future architectures."

OTV-8, Boeing said, is expected to open new opportunities for mission partners, which include the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Innovation Unit.

"OTV-8's laser communications demonstration will mark an important step in the U.S. Space Force's ability to leverage commercial space networks as part of proliferated, diversified, and redundant space architectures," said U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.

Saltzman added: "In so doing, it will strengthen the resilience, reliability, adaptability, and data transport speeds of our satellite communications architectures."

With the OTV 8, the revolutionary quantum inertial sensor will enable precise navigation without GPS, paving the way for deep space and cis-lunar exploration.

Space Delta 9 Commander Colonel Ramsey Hom said OTV 8's quantum inertial sensor demonstration is a welcome step forward for the operational resilience of Guardians in space.

"Whether navigating beyond Earth-based orbits in cis-lunar space or operating in GPS-denied environments, quantum inertial sensing allows for robust navigation capabilities where GPS navigation is not possible. Ultimately, this technology contributes significantly to our thrust within the Fifth Space Operations Squadron and across the Space Force guaranteeing movement and maneuverability even in GPS-denied environments,” Hom explained.

Considered the world's largest aerospace company , designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide.

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