Mysterious US Military Space Plane Begins Advanced Maneuvers in Orbit

In a cutting-edge milestone for orbital innovation, the U.S. military's secretive X-37B space plane has begun advanced aerobraking maneuvers to shift its orbit.

Launched on its seventh mission (OTV-7) in December 2023 via SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, the X-37B has been orbiting the Earth in a highly elliptical path, reaching well beyond the altitude at which satellites normally stay in sync with the planet's rotation before rapidly closing in near Earth's atmosphere.

Now, instead of relying on fuel, the space plane is using atmospheric drag to reduce its orbit gradually, a process that could extend mission durations significantly.

Although information has been released about the space plane's capabilities, much about it remains a mystery, including exactly what it is used for.

An artist's rendering of the X-37B conducting an aerobraking maneuver using the drag of Earth’s atmosphere. Ten months into its seventh mission, the Boeing-built space plane is hitting the breaks. Boeing Space

The X-37B is a highly classified, unmanned spacecraft developed by Boeing for the U.S. Department of Defense. While the exact nature of its missions remains undisclosed, the X-37B has been confirmed to conduct experimental research, such as studying the effects of space radiation on various materials, including seeds.

A recently released Boeing Space video showcases the spaceplane's latest maneuvers, which create intense friction as it dips into the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere, causing the spacecraft's underbelly to glow red and orange.

"When we aerobrake, we utilize atmospheric drag to effectively step down our apogee one pass at a time until we get to the orbital regime that we want to be in," Boeing engineer John Ealy explained in the video. "When we do this, we save enormous amounts of propellant, and that's really why aerobraking is important."

This precision-driven maneuver aims to position the spacecraft for safe disposal of service module components.

Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall commended the technique as a "groundbreaking innovation" in a statement last month.

Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations, echoed this sentiment, calling the maneuver "an incredibly important milestone" for the Space Force's expanding capabilities.

The mission has also shone a light on the broader potential of aerobraking for extending space missions without the heavy fuel burden typically associated with orbit adjustments.

According to Holly Murphy, program director for Boeing's Experimental Systems Group, the X-37B's achievements continue to push forward the boundaries of U.S. space capabilities.

"X-37B missions have continuously advanced our nation's space capabilities by testing new technologies that reduce risk and inform our future space architectures," she said in the video.

"Space is a vast and unforgiving environment where testing technologies is critical to the success of future endeavors," Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing's Space Mission Systems, added in a statement.

"There is no other space platform as capable, flexible and maneuverable as the X-37B, and its next demonstration will be another proof point that this test vehicle sets the pace of innovation," she said.

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