SpaceX will take over the launch of the US Air Force's secretive X-37B 'spaceplane' - a first for Elon Musk's aerospace company.All four previous X-37B missions were overseen by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin who launched the ship from atop one of its Atlas V rockets.Director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office Randy Walden said of the announcement: "We are excited about this new partnership on creating flexible and responsive launch options and are confident in SpaceX's ability to provide safe and assured access to space for the X-37B program. However, the Air Force claims the mini-space shuttle is simply testing technologies in orbit and carrying out experiments which can be returned to Earth.The plane completed its last mission in May after a record-breaking 718 days.The new contract was revealed during Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson's appearance before the US Senate Armed Service Committee, just two months before the scheduled launch.Contracts are usually announced around two years before a flight.The Air Force hasn't provided details about when the contract was awarded.In March, SpaceX beat United Alliance to win its second Air Force launch contract valued at $96.5 million. The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, which is responsible for the X-37B’s experimental operations, said it was “very excited” for the fifth flight, which will test how special electronics and heat pipes will fare during a long-duration space mission. SpaceX — which is based in Hawthorne and whose full name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp. — was certified by the Air Force in 2015 to carry national security satellites, which broke up a longtime and lucrative monopoly held by United Launch Alliance. The Air Force did not say why it chose SpaceX for this launch, but there are a couple of reasons why SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket may be more appealing than United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.
United Launch Alliance says it was not given an opportunity to bid against rival SpaceX for the upcoming launch of the U.S. Air Force miniature X-37B space plane. The Air Force declined to comment.