{"id":71347,"date":"2025-07-28T14:32:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T14:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:23:20","slug":"space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Space Force\u2019s X-37B spaceplane will take off on its eighth mission next month, this time with experiments focused on space-based communications and quantum sensing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese experiments come as part of a broader push across the U.S. Space Force to uphold the safety and security of the space domain by enhancing the resilience and flexibility of U.S. orbital systems,\u201d the service said in a statement Monday announcing the launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spacecraft, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2025\/04\/21\/boeing-looks-to-existing-production-lines-for-golden-dome-pitch\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2025\/04\/21\/boeing-looks-to-existing-production-lines-for-golden-dome-pitch\/\">built by Boeing<\/a>, has served as a testbed for the Defense Department and NASA since its first flight in 2010. While not an operational spacecraft, the mini space shuttle is used to fly experiments and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2024\/10\/10\/secret-x-37b-spaceplane-maneuvers-could-impact-future-space-operations\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2024\/10\/10\/secret-x-37b-spaceplane-maneuvers-could-impact-future-space-operations\/\"> test maneuvers and operational concepts in orbit<\/a>. Much of that work has been classified, but the Space Force in recent years has offered more insight into the platform\u2019s missions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman discussed the forthcoming mission, which will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s about making our joint force more connected, more resilient and ready to operate in the face of any challenge,\u201d Saltzman said. \u201cThat\u2019s how America\u2019s Space Force secures our nation\u2019s interests in, from and to space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Gw8j6KUXQAA3X1e.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-120084\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Gw8j6KUXQAA3X1e.jpg.jpg 600w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Gw8j6KUXQAA3X1e.jpg.jpg?resize=200,300 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An X-37B spacecraft in preparation for the program&#8217;s eighth mission. (U.S. Space Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the communications experiment, the service will coordinate with commercial satellite networks in low Earth orbit, about 1,200 miles above the Earth\u2019s surface, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/space\/2024\/09\/04\/space-development-agencys-first-satellites-demo-key-capabilities\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/space\/2024\/09\/04\/space-development-agencys-first-satellites-demo-key-capabilities\/\">demonstrate laser communications<\/a> \u2014 a technology that enables larger amounts of data to be transmitted more securely than traditional radio frequencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe use of proliferated relay networks enhances the resilience of U.S. space architectures by ensuring that they contain no single point of failure,\u201d the Space Force said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The quantum sensing demonstration will feature the highest performing quantum inertial sensor that\u2019s ever been used in space, according to the service. The sensor is designed to support navigation in orbit without GPS or other satellite networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis technology is useful for navigation in GPS-denied environments and consequently will enhance the navigational resilience of U.S. spacecraft in the face of current and emerging threats,\u201d the service said. \u201cAs quantum inertial sensors would be useful for navigation in cis\u00adlunar space, they additionally promise to push the technological frontiers of long-distance space travel and exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Fifth Space Operations Squadron at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC, conducts X-37B operations and experiments in partnership with the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service didn\u2019t describe the length of the mission or list any other experiments. It\u2019s last X-37B flight flew for 434 days, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2025\/03\/07\/us-militarys-mini-space-shuttle-returns-to-earth-after-secret-mission\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2025\/03\/07\/us-militarys-mini-space-shuttle-returns-to-earth-after-secret-mission\/\">returning in March of this year<\/a>. Among that mission\u2019s milestones was the demonstration of a series of aerobraking maneuvers that allowed the space vehicle to change orbits using minimal fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Editor\u2019s note: An earlier version of this story misidentified the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The mission will test laser communications using commercial satellite networks and the use of quantum inertial sensors in GPS-denied environments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":119475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":23,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"9":{"categories":["space","battlefield-tech","home"],"primary_category":"space"}}},"categories":[160,33,36,23],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3468],"class_list":["post-71347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-newsletters","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"HVM57ZUCCVGBTKGE72H2BEMI6A","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The mission will test laser communications using commercial satellite networks and the use of quantum inertial sensors in GPS-denied environments.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The mission will test laser communications using commercial satellite networks and the use of quantum inertial sensors in GPS-denied environments.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-28T14:32:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T01:23:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Courtney Albon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Courtney Albon\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2025-07-28T14:32:33+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:23:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 502,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Space\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2025-07-28T14:32:33+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T01:23:20+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The mission will test laser communications using commercial satellite networks and the use of quantum inertial sensors in GPS-denied environments.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/28\\\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Space\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/space\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"space\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month - Defense News","description":"The mission will test laser communications using commercial satellite networks and the use of quantum inertial sensors in GPS-denied environments.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month","og_description":"The mission will test laser communications using commercial satellite networks and the use of quantum inertial sensors in GPS-denied environments.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2025-07-28T14:32:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T01:23:20+00:00","author":"Courtney Albon","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Courtney Albon","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month","datePublished":"2025-07-28T14:32:33+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:23:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/"},"wordCount":502,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Home","Newsletters","Space"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/","name":"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-28T14:32:33+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T01:23:20+00:00","description":"The mission will test laser communications using commercial satellite networks and the use of quantum inertial sensors in GPS-denied environments.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2025\/07\/28\/space-force-to-launch-eighth-x-37b-spaceplane-flight-next-month\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Space","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/","ad_zone":"space"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Space Force to launch eighth X-37B spaceplane flight next month"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Military_Space_Plane_19502.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71357,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71347\/revisions\/71357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71347"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=71347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}