The Pentagon has kept a tight lid on details about the secretive Space Force space plane that perpetually flies 500 miles above the Earth’s surface.
But the Department of Defense (DoD) has released a rare video showing the Boeing-built X-37B spacecraft performing a “groundbreaking” maneuver to reach a new level of orbit using an “aerobraking” procedure, the first his type.
The video shows how the $200 million craft points its flat bottom forward, using the friction of the Earth’s atmosphere to slow it down, treating it as a brake, while pointing the plane’s nose away from Earth.
Boeing engineer John Ealy said: “When we aerobrake, we use atmospheric drag to effectively reduce our apogee step by step until we reach the orbital regime we want to be in.
“When we do this, we save enormous amounts of propellant, and that’s why aerobraking is really important.”
The X-37B, about the size of a small bus and resembling a miniature space shuttle, launched for its seventh mission on December 29, 2023 and is currently still conducting experiments for NASA before returning to Earth.
Space Force released a video showing the ‘groundbreaking’ maneuver of the X-37B spacecraft
The X-37B aircraft is the first of its kind to use the Earth’s atmosphere to reach a new level of orbit through an aerobraking procedure that relies on friction to reduce speed.
Space Force has not released information about the spacecraft’s primary function, but has said it will conduct experiments involving “space domain awareness technologies.”
This could mean that the new technology will be used to monitor other traffic in orbit and observe what other spacecraft are doing.
The seventh mission marks the first time Boeing has attempted the aerobraking maneuver.
Aerobraking is a method of slowing a spacecraft using the atmosphere or outer gas layers of a planet.
The space plane “sinks” into the atmosphere, and as it does so, gas molecules in the atmosphere rub against the spacecraft.
This acts as resistance and slows down the boat.
Often, a spacecraft will use aerodynamic braking to change an orbit or slow it down enough for gravity to pull it toward a planet.
The recent achievement followed previous missions with the goal of safely operating the aircraft.
“This first-of-its-kind maneuver for the the Space Force. of space operations said in a statement last month.
It was designed with the dual purpose of landing like a plane on a runway, while the rear-mounted service module carries additional payloads, although Boeing has not specified what these will be.
The spacecraft pointed its nose away from Earth as friction heated its underside, causing the underside to emit an orange glow and slowing the vehicle.
“Once the airbrake maneuver is complete, the Space Force said. .
The seventh mission was first launched atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, placing it at an undisclosed altitude.
According to the Space Force, it is collecting data for future manned missions by exposing plant seeds to the harsh radioactive environment of space.
The uncrewed a NASA. space shuttle.
It has the ability to conduct missions lasting up to 270 days to ‘support long-term space objectives,’ according to Boeing.
The X-37B spacecraft launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in December
Holly Murphy, program manager for Boeing’s Experimental Systems Group, said in the video: ‘The X-37B missions have continually advanced our nation’s space capabilities by testing new technologies that reduce risk and inform our future space architectures. Mission seven is no different.
The Space Force’s X-37B has spent about 10 months in orbit so far, but the agency has not yet revealed when it will conclude its seventh mission.
However, the aerobraking maneuver that brings it closer to Earth could indicate that it will return soon.
The release of the video comes as China is testing its own space plane, called Shenlong, which recently spent 268 days in orbit and completed its third mission on September 6.
China is the only other country in the world that has a reusable spacecraft and has expressed concern that these aircraft will be used to launch microsatellites that could be used for military applications, according to the Chinese morning star.