US Space Force reveals 1st look at secretive X-37B space plane in orbit

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Earth can be seen in the background, as the inside of a hollow metal structure dominates the top of the image, with visible bolts and struts. — Earth as seen in the first on-orbit photo released by the X-37B (left); the space plane prepares for its seventh mission, which launched on Dec. 28, 2023. | Credit: US Space Force

The United States Space Force just offered a rare glimpse of its shadowy X-37B space plane in orbit.

The photo, released on Thursday (Feb. 20), was taken by a camera onboard the X-37B while the secretive space plane orbited high above the African continent. One of the plane’s solar panels is visible on the left side of the photo, while what appears to be its open payload bay is visible along the top edge. The vehicle has been in orbit for well over a year now, having launched on its seventh mission on Dec. 28, 2023 atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

And now, the X-37B has notched another milestone with the Space Force’s release of this photo, the first-ever image of this space plane in orbit that has been shown to the public. While the photo contains scant details about the vehicle and what it’s currently testing, it offers a look at Earth far in the background, revealing just how high the vehicle is flying on its seventh mission.

We’ve gotten only one other glimpse at the X-37B in orbit prior to this. During the livestream of its most recent launch, a brief shot of the spacecraft deploying from Falcon Heavy’s upper stage was seen while its service module was still attached:

When the X-37B was preparing to launch on its current mission, the U.S. Space Force revealed the flight would “include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA,” according to a Space Force statement.

Previous X-37B missions were flown in low Earth orbit, but as this photo reveals, the space plane is currently operating much farther from Earth. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is capable of launching payloads into geosynchronous orbit, over 22,000 miles (35,000 km) above our planet.

A white rocket with three boosters launching at night — A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches the X-37B space plane on the USSF-52 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Dec. 28, 2023 from Pad 39A of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. | Credit: SpaceX

The X-37B recently made headlines when Space Force and Boeing, who built the vehicle, revealed that it would be testing a new “aerobraking maneuver” that uses the drag, or friction, generated by Earth’s atmosphere to change orbit more efficiently.

According to a brief U.S. Space Force statement released alongside the photo, the image was taken while the X-37B was conducting experiments some time last year. It’s unclear if those experiments were related to the aerobraking maneuvers, although the statement does reference them.

“An X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in a highly elliptical orbit in 2024,” the Space Force’s statement reads. “As part of the X-37B’s seventh mission, the vehicle executed a series of first-of-its-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel.”

a spacecraft with two stubby wings flies above a blue-and-white planet with an orange glow surrounding it — Artist rendering of the U.S. Space Force’s robotic X-37B conducting an aerobraking maneuver using the drag of Earth’s atmosphere. | Credit: Boeing Space

While the U.S. Space Force, and its previous operator the U.S. Air Force, have been tightlipped about what the space plane does on its lengthy missions, what is known is that the X-37B serves as a test platform for new space technologies.

So far, it has hosted payloads to test solar power beaming from space, thermal protection systems and autonomous flight capabilities. According to the Space Force, the X-37B is the “most advanced re-entry spacecraft that performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies.”

More in Science

— Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane soars past 1 year in orbit

— SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches mysterious X-37B space plane for US Space Force after delays

The X-37B flew for a record 908 days on its sixth mission, which ended when the landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 12, 2022.

Space Force does not typically publish mission timelines, so it’s unknown when the space plane might return to Earth and mark the conclusion of its seventh flight.

China is also testing its own reusable space plane. The vehicle launched on its third mission just two weeks prior to the X-37B’s most recent launch.

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