The mysterious X-37B spaceplane of the United States Space Force has been orbiting the Earth for over a year, 379 days to be precise. What he's doing there remains a mystery, but there are some clues that shed airy on his secret mission.
The unmanned X-37B spaceplane was launched into orbit using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on December 28, 2023. This is the seventh mission of the mysterious American military spaceplane created by Boeing, reports IFLScience.
The plane has been in orbit for 379 days and it is unclear when it will return. If the X-37B needs a launch vehicle to reach orbit, it lands like a regular plane on a runway, which has already been demonstrated 6 times.
The U.S. Space Force first launched the X-37B into orbit in 2010. The secret plane's first mission lasted 224 days. The longest the X-37B stayed in orbit was its sixth mission, which ended in 2022. It lasted 908 days.
Over the years, not enough information has emerged about the spaceplane itself to know exactly what it is doing in orbit. It is also unknown how much time he will spend in space during his seventh mission. It is likely that the end of this mission will be known when the aircraft returns to Earth, as has been the case in the past.
Experts believe the Pentagon is testing reusable spaceplane technology, but it's unclear whether this is true. Most of the X-37B's missions have always been shrouded in secrecy, and the seventh mission is no exception. Officially, the Pentagon has repeatedly assured that the X-37B tests various space technologies, without going into details.
It is known that last year the X-37B spaceplane first demonstrated aerobraking technology, which involves using atmospheric friction to lower orbit with minimal fuel consumption. It is also known that the X-37B used some devices in the Earth's atmosphere during this maneuver, but it is not known what.
As for the current X-37B mission, NASA said the plane is conducting an experiment that should provide more information about the effects of cosmic radiation on plant seeds and their survival in space. NASA is also testing fresh protective thermal coatings for spacecraft.
What is known about the X-37B spaceplane itself? It is almost 9 meters long and 4.5 meters wingspan. The plane can fly at altitudes from 240 to 800 km above the Earth.
But the Pentagon is hiding information about the height of the X-37B during its seventh mission. Although this is not surprising, because such information was not disclosed during previous missions. The X-37B space plane can fly over Earth at speeds of over 28,000 km/h.
Some experts suggest that the seventh mission may end in 2026, but this is only an assumption and there is no confirmation of this. It is worth noting that each fresh X-37B mission was longer than the previous one.
It is therefore possible that the seventh mission will last longer than the sixth and perhaps the secret American spaceplane will remain in orbit for up to 1,000 days.
Image Source: Pixabay.com
