US ‘spy’ space shuttle launch by is DELAYED by Space X at the last second ‘due to ground side issue’

A US Air Force 'spy plane' set to be launched by SpaceX as part of a secret mission has been forced to withdraw just minutes before it was due to take off.

Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket was scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:14 PM ET.

But a 'ground problem' led to the mission being halted at the eleventh hour.

“Tonight's Falcon Heavy launch will be halted due to a ground issue,” a SpaceX statement said.

'Vehicle and cargo remain healthy. The team is resetting for the next launch opportunity of the USSF-52 mission, which is not until tomorrow evening.”

SpaceX confirmed that the plane's launch has been postponed until Tuesday evening at the earliest

This mission would have been the secretive X-37B's seventh since it debuted in 2010, and most of the craft's payload is classified.

Initially, the mission was delayed by ten minutes as SpaceX was optimistic it would still go ahead with a live webcast of the liftoff.

“Now targeting 8:24 PM ET for the USSF-52's Falcon Heavy launch tonight. The weather is 85% favorable and the webcast will go live approximately 15 minutes prior to launch,” a statement said.

But just ten minutes after announcing the delay, the rocket company announced that the mission would be canceled.

Some experts have speculated that the USSF craft is being used to carry out espionage missions, monitor Chinese space operations or test reconnaissance systems.

The X-37B could theoretically carry weapons into space, possibly to defend US satellites against anti-satellite weapons.

China and Russia have accused the US government of using the plane as a bomber.

This unmanned spacecraft has been carrying out a series of secret missions for the military group since 2010, allowing the group to test new technologies in space.

The delay was the second in 24 hours after a launch on Sunday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida was similarly postponed

The X-37B is a military spacecraft that delivers classified payloads into orbit. The last mission lasted 908 days.

Previous missions have shown that the X-37B is a military workshop for new space technologies.

The X-37B can make stealth changes to its trajectory, adjusting its direction in a way that is difficult for observers to detect.

The aircraft was powered by solar cells with lithium-ion batteries and orbited at an altitude of about 200 miles.

In 2015, the US Air Force confirmed that the craft was being used to test a new electric propulsion system.

A USSF statement said the X-37B mission would include “a broad range of test and experiment objectives.”

“These tests include piloting the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain consciousness technologies, and examining radiation effects on NASA-supplied materials.”

According to a statement provided by the USSF to SpaceFlightNow, the launch of the Falcon Heavy marks a new era for the spacecraft, which previously launched on a Falcon 9 or Atlas V, both of which have a significantly smaller payload.

“The use of a Falcon Heavy rocket will extend the X-37B's flight range, launch a new orbital regime, and enable unique experimentation opportunities for the X-37B,” USSF said.

Monday night's mission would have been the secretive X-37B's seventh since it debuted in 2010, and most of the craft's payload has been classified

The Falcon Heavy rocket can carry a much heavier payload into space than the Falcon 9 or Atlas V. This suggests the X-37B will fly higher than on previous missions

The delay on Monday followed an earlier setback on Sunday, which pushed back the start by 24 hours.

No exact reason was given for the initial delay, but SpaceX had hoped the mission would proceed as planned on Monday with more favorable weather conditions.

“Now targeting Monday, December 11 for Falcon Heavy's launch of the USSF-52 mission, with weather conditions expected to improve to 70% favorable for Monday evening launch,” an update said.

“The team will use the time to conduct additional pre-launch checks.”

Although details about the X-37B's orbit and activities are secret, official documents seem to confirm that it would take a different path than in the past.

In addition to its secret payload, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is said to have conducted an experiment that monitors the effects of space radiation on seeds.

The first mission in 2010 lasted 224 days, the second a year later lasted 468 days and the mission that ended in 2019 lasted a total of 780 days.