For the first time, the U.S. Space Force has released an image captured by the onboard camera of the X-37B space drone. It shows part of the spaceplane itself, as well as the Earth.
The X-37B was developed by Boeing on behalf of the U.S. Air Force. It is 8.9 m long, 2.9 m high and has a wingspan of 4.5 m. The vehicle is launched into orbit using a rocket, and when it returns to Earth, it lands like an airplane. The spaceplane has a takeoff weight of 5 tons and is equipped with a cargo compartment that can accommodate up to 900 kg of payload. It can be represented either by sub-satellites or by instruments and materials that are subsequently returned to Earth.
Altogether, two of these vehicles have been built, making seven long-duration missions into space since 2010. The last one started on December 29, 2023, and it is still ongoing. The published image was taken just during this mission.
For the first decade, the Pentagon kept almost everything about the X-37B a secret. But in recent years, this approach has changed a bit and the military has begun to share general details of the tasks performed by the vehicle. It is claimed that the X-37B is mainly used to test experimental technologies, investigate the effects of the space environment on various materials, and test new orbital modes.
The seventh X-37B mission also had a different profile than the previous six missions. During this mission, the vehicle was launched into a highly elliptical orbit for the first time. Its perigee altitude is 323 km and its apogee altitude is 38,838 km. Perhaps this circumstance is caused by the fact that a more powerful Falcon Heavy rocket has been used to launch the X-37B this time.
Also during its seventh mission, the X-37B performed an aerobraking maneuver for the first time. It was required to safely direct the space plane’s service module into Earth’s atmosphere.
The U.S. is not the only country that has space drones in service. China also has a similar vehicle. Since 2020, it has already made three flights into space. The longest of them lasted 276 days.
