The U.S. Space Force said:
- "While in orbit, Mission 7 tested space domain awareness technology experiments that aim to improve the United States Space Force's knowledge of the space environment.
- "These 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."
The X-37B is a "dynamic unmanned spaceplane", meaning it needs no crew to operate.
MYSTERY MACHINE
Top secret US spaceship returns to Earth after 434 days on mysterious mission… and is met by hazmat-clad ground crew
The spaceship performed a never-before-seen "invisible" maneuver
The spaceship began its return to Earth after successfully completing its "test and experimentation objectives".
The X-37B completed a never-before-seen aero-braking manoeuvre to change its orbit.
- Aero-braking involves making several passes into the Earth's atmosphere which causes drag to rapidly change the craft's orbit.
- In doing so, the spaceship expends minimal fuel, making it temporarily invisible to other nations who could be tracking it.
- The winged, robotic spaceship has been shrouded in mystery since it's first visit to space in 2011, with very limited information about its true purpose in the public domain.
- It has previously been used to test the impact of solar radiation and is reported to be used for testing on military surveillance technology, according to The New York Times.
The
groundbreaking aero-braking tests have been praised by officials who
hope it will mark a new innovative period in space technology.
Chief
of Space Operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman, said:
- "Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B's ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes.
- "The successful execution of the aerobraking manoeuvre underscores the U.S. Space Force's commitment to pushing the bounds of novel space operations in a safe and responsible manner."
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Everything We Know About The US Air Force's Secret Space Plane - The X-37B
"Classified Missions" > or part of DARPA with Mysterious PayLoads?
Initially . . . there were mysteries and crazy conspiracy theories
"For the last 10 years the US Air Force has been flying a small reusable space plane designated the X-37B, carrying out classified missions in low Earth orbit.
This of course makes it something of a magnet for crazy conspiracy theories suggesting it's a weapons platform or it's changing the weather.
- However it was always pitched as a reusable platform to perform extended experiments in space starting back when it was a joint project with NASA.
The DoD had similar testing requirements with the extra constraint of keeping the hardware and tests classified, so, the X-37B offers them this capability."
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•Oct 30, 2019
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