Secretive US Space Force X-37B space plane 'breaks new ground' as it returns to Earth after 434 days in orbit (photos)
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The U.S. Space Force's robotic space plane X-37B returned to Earth has returned to Earth after spending more than 434 days in orbit on a classified mission.
This was the seventh mission for the X-37B space plane, officially designated X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), which landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, today (March 7). Touchdown occurred at 2:22 a.m. EST (0722 GMT).
During the mission, the Boeing-built X-37B performed a novel "aerobraking maneuver" that demonstrated its robust maneuver capability. In the aerobraking maneuver, X-37B used the drag caused by Earth's atmosphere to change its orbit more efficiently.
"Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B's ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes,' Chief of Space Operations Chance Saltzman said in a statement from Space Force. "The successful execution of the aerobraking maneuver underscores the U.S. Space Force's commitment to pushing the bounds of novel space operations in a safe and responsible manner."
Related: Space Force's secretive X-37B space plane: 10 surprising facts
It wasn't just the flexibility of X-37B in the air that was under scrutiny during this mission.
This was the first time that the space plane had launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to a highly elliptical (flattened) orbit. From there, the plane conducted what Space Force describes as "space domain awareness technology experiments that aim to improve the United States Space Force's knowledge of the space environment." SpaceX launched the X-37B OTV-7 mission on Dec. 28, 2023.
The aerobraking maneuver was used to take X-37B from the highly elliptical orbit to a low Earth orbit while conserving fuel. After conducting further experiments, the plane deorbited and returned to Earth.
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"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," X-37B Program Director Blaine Stewart said. "Considered together, they mark a significant milestone in the ongoing development of the U.S. Space Force's dynamic mission capability."
Despite it's long 434-day mission, the X-37B's OTV-7 flight wasn't the longest flight for the robotic space plane. That record was set during the OTV-6 mission, which spent 908 days in orbit between May 2020 and November 2022. In fact, every X-37B flight since 2011 has spent a longer time in space than OTV-7, with only the first flight — the 224-day OTV-1 mission — spending less time in orbit.
The U.S. Space Force currently has two X-37B space planes to fly those autonomous space missions.
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