On Friday, the U.S. Space Force released a stunning view from the X-37B space plane taken from high overhead, of our planet. Last year’s view was snapped with a camera placed on the highly classified space plane during its mission. The shot provides a unique look at life for the X-37B, as much about the vehicle remains classified regarding its activities.
This image was taken during the X-37B’s recent mission, which included experimental “first-of-kind” aerobraking maneuvers. The Space Force says that these maneuvers are made to reshape the space plane’s orbit safely using a small amount of fuel. It involves several passes through the Earth’s atmosphere to generate drag and modify its orbit, a method of saving fuel. After completion of these maneuvers, the X-37B will begin its usual set of experiments before eventually de-orbiting.
The X-37B mission, the seventh flight of the space plane, is another milestone in its covert activities. The last mission, which concluded in November 2022, lasted two-and-a-half years, or 908 days, setting a record for the longest mission in the program’s history. This seventh mission further ventures into new orbital regimes and tests space domain awareness technologies for future flights. The Space Force hasn’t released much information about the ongoing experiments, although previous missions have featured an array of scientific and technological goals, including testing new materials and researching plant seed radiation exposure on long-duration space flight, an experiment led by NASA.
The X-37B continues to be a vital resource in the U.S. military’s pursuit of greater capabilities in space. Though little and nondescript in appearance, the space plane performs a range of experimental operations that may determine the future direction of space defense and exploration. Whatever exactly its mission is now remains unofficial, but the Space Force’s publication of the image only adds to public fascination with the spacecraft’s current activities and future capabilities.
