X-37B completing its 6th mission
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The U.S. Space Force is preparing to launch its top-secret X-37B spacecraft for the seventh time. Little information has been released, but it suggests this will be the highest and longest flight ever for an unmanned spaceplane.
In its first six missions, the X-37B spent a total of 3774 days in space, with its last mission in orbit lasting 908 days, the longest of its six missions. In five of the flights, the plane was launched into space on top of an Atlas V rocket and then continued in orbit under its own power, while the sixth flight involved a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The next flight, scheduled for Dec. 10, will be launched atop a Falcon Heavy rocket, about three times more powerful than the Atlas V and Falcon 9. Space Force statement It said the mission would see the spaceplane “operate in a new orbital regime,” potentially marking the X-37B’s highest and longest flight to date.
The exact orbital parameters of past missions have not been disclosed by the US government. “Historically, each X-37B mission has expanded the aircraft’s flight range,” said U.S. Air Force representative Laura McAndrews. It’s safe to assume we can expect something similar with this mission.
While previous missions have been limited to low orbit, generally defined as less than 1,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, Falcon Heavy can take spacecraft far beyond that, to the farthest reaches of the solar system. The Air Force declined to provide specific information about the planned mission’s trajectory, and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.
The mission is planned to carry out several scientific experiments, both classified and unclassified. Not-so-secret experiments include testing the effects of cosmic radiation on various materials and seeds. “X-36B Mission 7…will build on previous NASA long-duration human spaceflight experiments to assess the effects of the space environment on plant seeds,” he says. McAndrews.
The more mysterious experiments include what the Space Force called in a statement a “Space Domain Awareness Technology Experiment.” Space domain awareness typically involves monitoring satellites and spacecraft in orbit to make sure they don’t collide with each other or the Earth, but what technologies will this mission test? is not exactly clear.
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