For the very first time, the U.S. military’s secretive X-37B spaceplane has started complex aerobraking maneuvers to mark history in orbital innovation.
The vehicle is unmanned and classified (at the moment) and is being developed by Boeing for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The space plane has been on its seventh mission (OTV-7) since its launch in 2023 by the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
The Secret U.S. Military Space Plane
The secret U.S. space plane is orbiting at altitudes beyond those of traditional satellites but it is believed to have been descending carefully to a lower orbit.
Though details of the X-37B’s missions are tightly guarded, it is known to perform experimental tasks, such as studying the impact of space radiation on materials.
Boeing recently released a video that showed a beautiful glowing object touching the edges of Earth’s atmosphere.
The classified nature of X-37B raises questions about its secretive use which can raise fears of a global space race.
