The United States Space Force’s highly secretive, uncrewed space plane, the X-37B, made an unexpected return to Earth this week after spending 434 days in orbit.
This mission, which was shorter than some of its predecessors, focused on testing new flight patterns, including fuel-saving maneuvers that could prove crucial for future long-duration missions.
The X-37B landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, marking the completion of its seventh known mission.
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Although the Space Force has consistently maintained secrecy around the spacecraft’s operations, a few key details about the mission have emerged.
Notably, this flight was unique because it launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, allowing it to travel into a “highly elliptical” orbit, a departure from its typical flight patterns.
A significant achievement of this mission was the testing of aerobraking maneuvers, a technique that utilizes the drag of Earth’s atmosphere to slow down and adjust the spacecraft’s trajectory without depleting its onboard fuel.
This method, employed in October, could be a game-changer for extending the operational lifespan of future uncrewed missions. Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, emphasized the importance of these advancements, stating that the mission helped push “the bounds of novel space operations in a safe and responsible manner.”
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Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart, program director for the X-37B, also highlighted the significance of the mission, saying, “Mission 7’s operation in a new orbital regime, its novel aerobraking maneuver, and its testing of space domain awareness experiments have written an exciting new chapter in the X-37B program.”
Stewart further noted that these milestones represent a significant leap in the Space Force’s ability to conduct dynamic space operations.
Adding to the intrigue surrounding the X-37B, Space Force released a rare image from the spacecraft in February—marking the first publicly shared photo taken from orbit by any of the missions.
The X-37B, of which Space Force operates two, is a compact vehicle, measuring just nine meters in length. It relies on solar power once in orbit, a feature that contributes to its capability for extended missions.
The spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 28, 2023. While Space Force generally announces launch dates, it remains tight-lipped on the specific objectives and progress of X-37B missions once they are underway.
The Air Force initiated the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) program in 2010, which was later transferred to Space Force. Over the years, the trend for these missions has leaned toward increasing mission duration, with each flight surpassing the length of the previous one—until now.
The previous mission, OTV-6, lasted a record-breaking 908 days before returning to Earth in November 2022.
The recent OTV-7 mission, however, marks a deviation from this pattern. With a significantly shorter duration than its predecessor, speculation continues as to why the mission was cut shorter than expected.
While Space Force has not disclosed specifics about the objectives of these missions, some have speculated potential military or intelligence applications, particularly in space surveillance and experimental technologies.
As the X-37B program advances, its growing capabilities suggest that Space Force is refining uncrewed spacecraft technology for future strategic use.
When the next mission will launch remains uncertain, but one thing is clear—the X-37B continues to be a crucial component of the United States’ evolving presence in space.
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