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

X-37B 此前曾在较小的猎鹰 9 号火箭上发射。

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

美国太空军神秘的 X-37B 计划由 SpaceX 火箭发射。

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. 

这架可重复使用的太空飞机将于 12 月 7 日搭载 SpaceX 猎鹰重型火箭从 NASA 佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心发射升空，执行其第七次总体任务，编号为 USSF-52。

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.

根据太空部队的声明，这标志着 X-37B 首次在猎鹰重型火箭上发射。人们对这架太空飞机的功能和操作知之甚少，但太空部队表示，此次任务将遵循之前使用 X-37B 作为发射实验有效载荷并将其返回地球的测试平台的飞行。

"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.

“我们很高兴能够扩展可重复使用的 X-37B 的能力范围，使用经过飞行验证的服务模块和猎鹰重型火箭为空军部及其合作伙伴进行多项尖端实验，”中校说。 X-37B 项目总监 Joseph Fritschen 在声明中表示。

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

相关：美国太空部队的第一幅官方绘画显示军用太空飞机拦截敌方卫星

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). 

目前尚不清楚为什么 X-37B 在执行 USSF-52 任务时搭载猎鹰重型火箭发射。这架太空飞机之前的五次任务是通过联合发射联盟 Atlas V 火箭发射的，而其第五次任务 USA-277 是在 SpaceX 较小的火箭猎鹰 9 号火箭（猎鹰重型火箭由三个绑在一起的猎鹰 9 助推器组成）的顶部起飞的。

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.

这种变化可能表明太空飞机正在携带更重的有效载荷或正在采用新的硬件配置。声明称，到目前为止，天军仅表示该任务将“通过试验未来的太空领域感知技术，扩大美国天军对太空环境的了解”。

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.

然而，太空部队的声明补充说，该任务将进行一项名为“Seeds-2”的 NASA 实验，该实验将测试长期太空飞行期间天基辐射对植物种子的影响。

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-37B 由波音公司制造，于 2010 年进行了首次飞行。在上一次飞行中，这架太空飞机在轨道上飞行了 908 天，然后于 2022 年 11 月 12 日降落在肯尼迪航天中心。

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.

太空部队上个月发布了第一幅官方绘画，描绘了一架与 X-37B 有点相似的太空飞机，在轨道战斗中与敌方卫星交战。太空部队表示，这幅画纯粹是虚构的，展示了一种源自历史太空飞机概念和艺术家想象力的“未来拦截飞行器”。