The X-37B spacecraft’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch is currently scheduled for December 28

If everything goes as planned, SpaceX’s formidable Falcon Heavy rocket will take to the skies once more before the year ends.

The launch of the US Space Force’s X-37B spacecraft, which will take off atop a Falcon Heavy from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is now scheduled for December 28, according to SpaceX.

When the time comes, you can watch the action here on Space.com, thanks to SpaceX.

Originally, SpaceX had scheduled the robotic X-37B launch for December 11. However, the company canceled that day’s plans approximately 30 minutes prior to the planned liftoff time, citing a problem with ground equipment. In the event that the Heavy takes off on December 28 as currently scheduled, the ensuing delay will now last for 17 days.

The upcoming launch will mark the seventh launch for the 29-foot (8.8-meter) long X-37B, which is essentially an orbital testbed for new space technology, according to military officials.

The duration of the X-37B mission is unknown because the majority of the spacecraft’s flight details, including the identity and function of the majority of its payloads, are classified. Still, it’s reasonable to expect a long flight. Up until now, every X-37B mission has been longer than the last; the most recent one, which returned home in November 2022, was in the air for 908 days.

Eight Falcon Heavy launches have occurred to date, with four of those launches occurring in 2023.

The last time The Heavy took to the skies was in October, when it launched NASA’s Psyche probe toward the asteroid belt. The Heavy is currently the second-most powerful rocket in use, behind NASA’s Space Launch System.