That enigmatic U.S. navy X-37B robotic space drone has now chalked up greater than 500 days circling the Earth.
The Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-6) can be known as USSF-7 for the U.S. Space Force and launched May 17, 2020, on an Atlas V 501 booster.
OTV-6 is the primary to make use of a service module to host experiments. The service module is an attachment to the aft of the car that enables further experimental payload functionality to be carried to orbit.
Related: The US Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane: 10 surprising facts
Primary agenda: categorised
While the Boeing-built robotic space aircraft’s on-orbit major agenda is classed, a few of its onboard experiments had been recognized pre-launch.
One experiment onboard the space aircraft is from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), an investigation into remodeling solar energy into radio frequency microwave power. The experiment itself known as the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module, PRAM for brief.
Along with toting NRL’s PRAM into Earth orbit, the X-37B additionally deployed the FalconSat-8, a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory to conduct a number of experiments on orbit.
In addition, two NASA experiments are additionally onboard the space aircraft to check the results of the space surroundings on a supplies pattern plate and seeds used to develop meals.
Previous flights
OTV-1: launched on April 22, 2010 and landed on Dec. 3, 2010, spending over 224 days on orbit.
OTV-2: launched on March 5, 2011 and landed on June 16, 2012, spending over 468 days on orbit.
OTV-3: launched on Dec. 11, 2012 and landed on Oct. 17, 2014, spending over 674 days on-orbit.
OTV-4: launched on May 20, 2015 and landed on May 7, 2015, spending almost 718 days on-orbit.
OTV-5: launched on Sept. 7, 2017 and landed on Oct. 27, 2019, spending almost 780 days on-orbit.
OTV-1, OTV-2, and OTV-3 missions landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, whereas the OTV-4 and OTV-5 missions landed at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
There is not any phrase on when and the place OTV-6 will return to Earth.
According to a Boeing reality sheet, “the X-37B is one of the world’s newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft, designed to operate in low-earth orbit, 150 to 500 miles above the Earth. The vehicle is the first since the space shuttle with the ability to return experiments to Earth for further inspection and analysis. This United States Air Force unmanned space vehicle explores reusable vehicle technologies that support long-term space objectives.”
Delta 9
The X-37B program is flown below the wing of a U.S. Space Force unit known as Delta 9, established and activated July 24, 2020.
“Delta 9 Detachment 1 oversees operations of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, an experimental program designed to demonstrate technologies for a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the U.S. Space Force,” in accordance with a reality sheet issued by Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado.
“The mission of Delta 9 is to prepare, present, and project assigned and attached forces for the purpose of conducting protect and defend operations and providing national decision authorities with response options to deter and, when necessary, defeat orbital threats,” the actual fact sheet explains. “Additionally, Delta 9 supports Space Domain Awareness by conducting space-based battlespace characterization operations and also conducts on-orbit experimentation and technology demonstrations for the U.S. Space Force.”
Leonard David is writer of the e book “Moon Rush: The New Space Race,” revealed by National Geographic in May 2019. A longtime author for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space business for greater than 5 a long time. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. This model of the story was revealed on Space.com.
