Many details about the X-37B are classified. Still, it is critical to the U.S. Space Force’s ability to conduct space operations in the increasingly contested space environment.
The United States Space Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7) landed successfully at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
The seventh mission of this experimental spacecraft lasted 434 days, less than half the length of the sixth mission, which, at 908 days, was the most extended mission to date for the reusable, unmanned spaceplane.
While not nearly as long, the Space Force acknowledges that OTV-7 saw, “the first launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket to a Highly Elliptical Orbit.” Throughout the more than year-long mission, the X-37B, “accomplished a range of test and experimentation objectives intended to demonstrate [its] robust maneuver capability, which helped “characterize the space domain through the testing of space domain awareness technology experiments.”
The space service also touted that Mission 7 built on, “decades of lessons learned from previous space missions,” which was employed for the “successful completion of the novel aerobraking maneuver.” That served to highlight the capabilities of the unmanned spaceplane. Aerobraking allows the atmosphere to slow the spacecraft, and as it requires less fuel, it can help extend the mission’s endurance.
“Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B’s ability to accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes flexibly. The successful execution of the aerobraking maneuver underscores the U.S. Space Force’s commitment to pushing the bounds of novel space operations safely and responsibly,” reported Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.
X-37B: A Heavy Lifter
The first five X-37B missions were sent to orbit via Atlas V rockets made by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The sixth mission saw a change in hardware and flew with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster.
Each trip was confined to below 1,200 miles in altitude.
For the first time, the reusable, autonomous OTV was launched using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, currently one of the most powerful launch vehicles available. Falcon Heavy has three reusable first-stage boosters and can reach 22,000 miles.
X-37B’s Lucky Seventh Mission
During its orbit, the X-37B also conducted many “space domain awareness technology experiments” to help the Space Force expand its “knowledge of the space environment.” The service didn’t offer many details of what that entailed.
Still, it added that the “technologies are critical to the U.S. Space Force’s ability to conduct space operations in an increasingly congested and contested environment of space, to the benefit of all users of the domain.”
Following the successful testing of “aerobraking to a Low Earth Orbit” and the completion of the various tests, the X-37B “performed its deorbit and landing procedures ” and returned to Earth last week.
“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,” added Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart, X-37B program director. “Together, they mark a significant milestone in the ongoing development of the U.S. Space Force’s dynamic mission capability.”
The X-37B: A Not-so-Secret Spaceplane
Many details about the X-37B are classified, but the unmanned OTV looks similar to the NASA space shuttle yet is far smaller. It is twenty-nine feet long, 9.6 feet tall, and weighs around 11,000 pounds. Like the shuttle, it is launched vertically with the aid of a rocket and uses a runway for landing.
“The primary objectives of the X-37B are twofold: reusable spacecraft technologies for America’s future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to, and examined on Earth,” states the fact sheet on the OTV produced by the Air Force.
The program began in 1999 when NASA sought to construct two vehicles: an Approach and Landing Test Vehicle (ALTV) and an Orbital Vehicle. It was transferred to the military in 2004, specifically to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), at which point it became more secretive.
In 2006, DARPA finished the ALTV part of the program, while the Orbital Vehicle originally envisioned by NASA was never built. That project inspired the spaceplane that eventually became the X-37B, which was built by Boeing’s Phantom Works division and run by the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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