The X-37B has previously launched atop the smaller Falcon 9 rocket.

The U.S. Space Force's shadowy X-37B is set for launch atop a SpaceX rocket.

미국 우주군의 그림자 X-37B가 SpaceX 로켓 위에서 발사될 예정입니다.

The reusable space plane will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 7 for its seventh overall mission, designated USSF-52. 

재사용 가능한 우주선은 USSF-52로 지정된 일곱 번째 전체 임무를 위해 12월 7일 플로리다에 있는 NASA의 케네디 우주 센터에서 SpaceX Falcon Heavy 로켓 위에 발사될 예정입니다.

This marks the first time that the X-37B will launch on a Falcon Heavy, according to a Space Force statement. Little is known about the capabilities and operations of the space plane, but Space Force says the mission will follow previous flights that used the X-37B as a test bed for launching experimental payloads and returning them to Earth.

"We are excited to expand the envelope of the reusable X-37B's capabilities, using the flight-proven service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to fly multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners," said Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, program director for the X-37B, in the statement.

Related: US Space Force's 1st official painting shows military space plane intercepting adversary satellite

관련: 미 우주군의 첫 번째 공식 그림은 적의 위성을 요격하는 군용 우주선을 보여줍니다.

It isn't known why the X-37B is launching atop a Falcon Heavy for the USSF-52 mission. Five of the space plane's previous missions launched on United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets, while its fifth mission, USA-277, took off on top of SpaceX's smaller rocket, the Falcon 9 (Falcon Heavy consists of three Falcon 9 boosters strapped together). 

USSF-52 임무를 위해 X-37B가 Falcon Heavy 위에서 발사되는 이유는 알려져 있지 않습니다. 우주 비행기의 이전 임무 중 5개는 United Launch Alliance Atlas V 로켓에서 발사되었으며, 다섯 번째 임무인 USA-277은 SpaceX의 더 작은 로켓인 Falcon 9(Falcon Heavy는 함께 묶인 3개의 Falcon 9 부스터로 구성됨) 위에서 이륙했습니다.

Such a change could suggest that the space plane is carrying heavier payloads or is sporting a new hardware configuration. So far, Space Force has only stated that the mission will "expand the United States Space Force's knowledge of the space environment by experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies," according to the statement.

However, Space Force's statement adds that the mission will carry a NASA experiment known as Seeds-2 that will test the effects that space-based radiation has on plant seeds during a long-duration spaceflight.

The X-37B was built by Boeing and made its first flight in 2010. It's previous flight saw the space plane spend 908 days in orbit before landing at Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 12, 2022.

X-37B는 보잉이 제작했으며 2010년에 첫 비행을 했습니다. 이전 비행에서는 우주선이 궤도에서 908일을 보낸 후 2022년 11월 12일 케네디 우주 센터에 착륙했습니다.

Space Force released its first official painting last month that depicts a space plane somewhat similar to the X-37B engaging an adversary satellite in orbital combat. Space Force says the painting is purely fiction and shows a "futuristic intercept vehicle" derived from historical space plane concepts and the artist's imagination.

Space Force는 지난달 궤도 전투에서 적 위성과 교전하는 X-37B와 유사한 우주선을 묘사한 첫 번째 공식 그림을 공개했습니다. Space Force는 이 그림이 순전히 허구이며 역사적인 우주 비행기 개념과 작가의 상상력에서 파생된 "미래적 요격 차량"을 보여주고 있다고 말했습니다.