Secretive Space Plane Beams Back Photo Taken High Above Earth
The United States Space Force has released a rare photo taken by X-37B, a secretive space plane that is hosting payloads in highly elliptical orbit.
The photo taken high above the African continent shows the orb of planet Earth as well as some of the plane in the foreground including a solar panel. The image was revealed on Thursday, February 20 and it marks the first time ever that the public has even been given a glimpse of the shadowy spacecraft while in orbit.
While the photo doesn’t reveal much about X-37B or the mission it’s on, it does show just how incredibly high the plane flies above Earth. On social media, the U.S. military branch explains that the onboard camera that captured the image is used to “ensure the health and safety of the vehicle.”
It adds that the picture was taken sometime in 2024 while conducting experiments in highly elliptical orbit (HEO). “The X-37B executed a series of first-of-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel,” Space Force adds. The aerobraking maneuver referenced is a way of using drag generated by Earth’s atmosphere to change orbit.
The X-37B launched for its seventh mission on December 20, 2023, attached to a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Before its flight, U.S. Space Force said the mission would “include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA.”
Space.com notes that previous X-37B missions were undertaken in low Earth orbit but the new picture reveals the space plane is a long way from Earth. While information about the project is closely guarded, it is known to have tested solar power functionality, autonomous flight, and thermal protection systems. The U.S. Space Force says the X-37B is the “most advanced re-entry spacecraft that performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies.”
On its sixth and previous mission, the X-37B flew nonstop for 908 days. It is not known when it might return to Earth next.
Image credits: Courtesy of U.S. Space Force
