The top secret plane X-37B of the United States has returned to space for a new mission, with the particularity that it has done so with the “help” of Elon Musk. It is that, for the first time, the vehicle belonging to the United States Space Force has flown aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
This is the seventh mission of the X-37B, of which no specific details are known. The US authorities they have only commented that this time the top secret plane will carry out a “wide range of tests and experiments.” However, their extent is unknown.
According to the United States Space Force, the intention is to test the operational capabilities of the X-37B in new orbital regimes. Also, experiment with “space domain awareness” technologies, and continue studying the effects of radiation on materials provided by NASA.
This is, at least, what has been mentioned in public. China and Russia have accused the Americans of using the X-37B to espionage work From space. And they have even hinted that the autonomous vehicle could transport and launch weapons from Earth orbit, something that the Pentagon has denied on several occasions.
The X-37B returns to space aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy
The top secret United States plane had returned to Earth in November 2022, after spending more than 900 days in space. To be more specific, the X-37B has achieved a record of 908 consecutive days in orbit, greatly exceeding the deadlines for which it was designed. The longest previous record had been 780 days.
The US Space Force has not mentioned how long this new mission of the unmanned vehicle developed by Boeing will last. But looking at the history, it is logical to think that he could spend at least a couple of years carrying out his duties in space.
As we already mentioned, the seventh mission of the X-37B stands out for being the first time that the space plane takes off aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. For the previous mission, he had flown aboard the historic Atlas V.
“We are excited to expand the scope of the X-37B’s reusable capabilities, utilizing the flight-proven service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to conduct multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners,” said Lt. colonel Joseph Fritschenleader of the X-37B program.
Of course, this new release took a few weeks to wait. In principle, the top secret plane was to return to space on December 7. However, Elon Musk’s aerospace company had to cancel the takeoff on multiple occasions due to bad weather conditions and problems with ground equipment.
The terrain of space planes is unleashing a new race between the great world powers. Just as the United States has the X-37B, China has its own vehicle with similar characteristics. Curiously, or not, the Asian ship has a design inspired by that of the space shuttle, as is also the case with Boeing’s.