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The U.S. Department of Defense’s X-37B unmanned spy plane is one of the most intriguing spacecraft in the world, flying regular covert missions whose objectives are not fully known. But over the years, information about the craft, also known as the orbital test vehicle (OTV), has trickled out. Here we take a look at 10 things that can definitely be said about the secret space plane.
Basic facts are available
The reusable X-37B, which looks like a smaller version of one of NASA’s now retired space shuttles, was originally built by NASA in 1999, as previously reported by Live Science’s Twin site Space.com. It is approximately 29 feet (8.8 meters) long and 9.5 feet (2.9 m) high, with a wingspan of just under 15 feet (4.6 m). It weighs 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) when on the launch pad.
Like the space shuttle, the X-37B takes off vertically and is rocket propelled. Once in orbit, it can maneuver on its own, and it ends up landing on a runway back on Earth, much like a conventional airplane. The vehicle has a small payload area, roughly the size of a pickup truck bed, allowing it to carry equipment and satellites. It operates at an altitude between 150 and 500 miles (240 to 805 kilometers) above Earth, according to its manufacturer, Boeing.
Different military branches have had it over the years
NASA transferred two X-37B vehicles to the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2004, according to Space.com. After being operated by the US Air Force for many years, robotic spy planes came under the responsibility of the new space force in 2020, according to Military.com, a news and resources site for the military.
Nobody really knows what it is
Despite six missions to date, the true purpose of the X-37B remains a mystery. Some possibilities include monitoring the Earth’s surface from above and the deployment of spy satellites, although nothing has ever been confirmed.
Other theories have been proposed, such as the idea that the X-37B could be a space bomber, a vehicle to spy on the Chinese space station, or a way for the US military to interfere with satellites from other countries. . . Experts threw cold water on all of these ideas, saying they would require large amounts of fuel or be too easy to trace to the U.S. military, as previously reported by Live Science.
It can stay in space for years
One of two completed X-37Bs its first launch in 2010 and spent 224 days in space. His partner vehicle made its first flight a year later and stayed in orbit for more than double that time.
The spacecraft’s current record is 780 days – over two full years – in orbit, which occurred during the X-37B’s fifth flight, Previously reported live science. What he was doing up there all this time remains a mystery.
It can launch on a SpaceX rocket
While the X-37B has typically driven United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V booster into space, the vehicle is capable of being launched by different rockets. On its fifth mission in 2017, the military turned things around a bit and used a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to get it into orbit, according to Espace.com.
Civilians photographed an X-37B
Despite being clandestine military hardware, the X-37B is not immune to spotting by civilian sky watchers. The vehicle’s launch times are publicly announced, which allowed satellite tracker Russell Eberst from Edinburgh, Scotland to determine where it would be in the sky and see it through a telescope in October 2017. Cees Bassa, a Netherlands-based sky detective did the same that year. , Previously reported live science.
And a Dutch skywatcher and satellite tracker named Ralf Vandebergh was able to photograph the robotic vehicle as it circled above us in 2019. “We can kinda recognize the nose, cargo bay and tail of this mini-shuttle. , with even a sign of some smaller detail, “he says Live Science at the time.
He can carry experiences
Shortly before the X-37B’s most recent launch in 2020, the U.S. military revealed that the spy plane had a new service module attached to its rear that allowed for a large number of experiments to be transported into orbit. “Incorporating a service module on this mission allows us to continue to expand the capabilities of the spacecraft and host more experiences than any of the previous missions,” Randy Walden, director and executive director of the program for the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities. Office, said in a press release.
The mission deployed a small satellite known as FalconSat-8, which contained five experimental payloads, some developed by the US Air Force and others by NASA. While NASA said it was piloting an experiment on a previous X-37B flight, It was the first time the army had disclosed details of such a shipment.
He won awards
In 2020, the X-37B received the Collier Trophy, one of the most prestigious awards in aviation, for pushing “the limits of flight and space exploration”. according to the US Air Force. “Sophisticated and unmanned, the X-37B advances reusable space plane technologies and operates experiments in space which are referred for further examination on Earth,” said Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett in a press release.
Previous Collier Trophy winners include Orville Wright, Howard Hughes, the Apollo 11 moon landing team, the International Space Station and the B-52.
It is designed to frustrate enemies
During a panel at the Aspen Security Forum in 2019, former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson revealed that the X-37B may be able to fly low enough to use Earth’s atmosphere to alter its orbit, according to Military.com. Wilson said the vehicle’s maneuvers are specifically designed to drive adversaries such as Russia and China “nuts” because they are unable to predict exactly how it will perform.
A crewed version was once in the works
In 2011, Boeing looked at different vehicle designs that the X-37B could eventually evolve into. An article by company engineer Arthur Granz entitled “X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle and Derivatives“mentioned a version called the X-37C which would be larger and capable of carrying astronauts, according to Space.com. But since then, little information about the X-37C has emerged.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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