US military spaceplane poised for 7th launch, first atop SpaceX Falcon Heavy

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifts off from historic launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Thom Baur/File Photo

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. military's secretive X-37B robot spaceplane was poised for liftoff from Florida on Monday on its seventh mission to orbit, the vehicle's first launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket capable of lofting it higher than ever before.

The Falcon Heavy, composed of three reusable rocket cores strapped together, was due for blast-off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral during a 10-minute nighttime launch window starting at 8:14 p.m. EST (0114 GMT Tuesday), weather permitting.