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Drone madness, mysterious us spaceship executing unprecedented maneuvers above earth: ‘national security missions in space’.

A secretive US spaceship is about to attempt unprecedented flight maneuvers above Earth.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-7) is an experimental space plane operated by the United States Space Force (USSF).

Although little has been revealed about the purpose of the vehicle, an official painting of the X-37B unveiled last year depicted the futuristic-looking vehicle intercepting an adversary satellite positioning to disable a friendly satellite.

The USSF has announced that the X-37B will begin executing a series of “novel maneuvers” called aerobraking.

This involves a number of passes using the drag of Earth’s atmosphere to change its orbit around Earth while expending minimal fuel.

If successful, it will allow the X-37B to safely dispose of its service module components in accordance with recognized standards for space debris mitigation.

Since December 2023, the USSF, supported by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, has conducted radiation effect experiments and has been testing space domain awareness technologies in a “highly elliptical orbit.”

Once the aerobrake maneuver is complete, the USSF says the X-37B will “resume its test and experimentation objectives until they are accomplished,” at which time the vehicle will de-orbit and execute a safe return, as it has during its six previous missions.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall stated, “This novel and efficient series of maneuvers demonstrates the Space Force’s commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space.”

Chief of space operations Gen. Chance Saltzman praised the team for its efforts. “This first-of-a-kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone for the United States Space Force as we seek to expand our aptitude and ability to perform in this challenging domain. The success is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the team.”

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The Secretive Spaceplane of the U.S. Space Force Conducts First-of-Its-Kind Maneuvers

Called aerobraking, the technique allows the highly classified craft to change orbit without using propellant—and some are wondering why the agency has let us in on this news

Margherita Bassi

Daily Correspondent

Recently, the United States Space Force surprised space travel enthusiasts and professionals alike by revealing details about its mysterious spaceplane’s seventh mission. In a statement released on October 10, the agency announced that its Boeing-made X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle would conduct a series of unprecedented aerobraking maneuvers to change its orbital path around Earth. This month, Boeing Space said on social media that the procedure had begun.

“This first-of-a kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone for the United States Space Force as we seek to expand our aptitude and ability to perform in this challenging domain,” B. Chance Saltzman , chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force, said in the statement.

The news is a rare offering of information from the Space Force and Boeing, which are incredibly secretive about the X-37B’s activities. The craft  launched  on its first mission in 2010, but few details have been revealed about its highly classified purpose in space.

The newly described aerobraking maneuver allows the X-37B spaceplane to change its orbit by using the Earth’s atmospheric drag—the friction caused by molecules in the atmosphere. Normally, spacecrafts have to fire their thrusters to achieve a shift in orbit, which uses up propellant and thus can only be done a limited number of times, per Space.com ’s Brett Tingley.

“When we aerobrake, we utilize atmospheric drag to effectively step down our apogee”—the farthest point from Earth in the orbit—“one pass at a time, until we get to the orbital regime that we want to be in,” John Ealy, a Boeing engineer, says in a video released by the company. “When we do this, we save enormous amounts of propellant, and that’s really why aerobraking is important.”

Because of the way it conserves fuel, aerobraking could allow missions to last significantly longer, per Newsweek ’s Tom Howarth.

X-37B will change its orbit (or perhaps it already has) in order to dispose of service module components, dropping them off to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Besides this novel maneuver, the public knows very little about X-37B. It is an unmanned, remotely controlled spaceplane Boeing developed for the U.S. Department of Defense. More broadly, spaceplanes are hybrids between airplanes and spacecraft that can orbit the planet like satellites but also land back on Earth like passenger planes, per Gizmodo ’s Passant Rabie. In essence, this ability makes them reusable.

X-37B was launched into space via SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket for its seventh mission (OTV-7) in December 2023. Since then, it has been orbiting Earth in an extremely elliptical path with a perigee (the closest point of an orbit) of 620 miles and an apogee of more than 22,210 miles, per Live Science ’s Rory Bathgate—though it has been spotted as close as 185 miles above Earth.

But exactly what it’s doing on that orbit is unclear. “Since December 28, 2023, the United States Space Force, supported by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, has conducted radiation effect experiments and has been testing Space Domain Awareness technologies in a Highly Elliptical Orbit,” is all the agency said of the spaceplane’s overall mission in the recent statement.

We do know, however, that past missions have served to study the effect of long-duration space exposure , including space radiation, on seeds.

“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, said in another statement last month. “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.”

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a statement that the craft is conducting “national security missions in space.” Some suspect this to include military surveillance . Many are thus wondering what might have prompted the agency to release information about the X-37B’s latest maneuver.

“Disclosing this aerobraking maneuver could be the Space Force’s way of showing the world what the spaceplane is capable of,” Vivienne Machi writes for Aviation Week , “with an intended audience of anyone from allies and partners, adversaries, lawmakers, industry, potential recruits, and perhaps even the service itself.”

Machi adds that two other reasons for the revelation could include loosening up some of the agency’s historic and perhaps unnecessary security classification barriers, and/or wanting to prompt China and Russia to also step up communication about space maneuvers.

Once the aerobraking has been completed—and perhaps it already has—the spaceplane will return to its secretive objectives.

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Margherita Bassi | READ MORE

Margherita Bassi is a freelance journalist and trilingual storyteller. Her work has appeared in publications including BBC Travel,  Discover magazine ,  Live Science ,  Atlas Obscura  and  Hidden Compass .

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What Is Aerobraking That A Secretive US Spacecraft Will Perform In Earth's Orbit

The spacecraft, x-37b orbital test vehicle, is an experimental space plane operated by the united states space force.

A highly secretive US spacecraft is set to embark on a series of innovative flight manoeuvres in Earth's orbit. The spacecraft, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-7), is an experimental space plane operated by the United States Space Force (USSF). While the full scope of its mission remains classified, the X-37B has garnered significant attention for its cutting-edge capabilities.

In a release, the US Space Force said that the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-7) is set to carry aerobraking, which will allow it to adjust its orbit around Earth and safely discard its service module in line with international guidelines for managing space debris. Since December 28, 2023, the US Space Force, with the support of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, has been conducting radiation impact studies and trialling Space Domain Awareness technologies while in a highly elliptical orbit.

Aerobraking involves the spacecraft making multiple passes through Earth's atmosphere, using the atmospheric drag to alter its orbit while conserving fuel. Once this manoeuvre is successfully completed, the X-37B will continue its testing and experimental missions. After fulfilling its objectives, the vehicle will de-orbit and return to Earth safely.

Frank Kendall, Secretary of the Air Force, said, “This novel and efficient series of manoeuvres demonstrates the Space Force's commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space.”

This marks the first time the US Space Force and the X-37B will attempt the dynamic aerobraking manoeuvre, building on the success of six previous missions where the space plane has operated safely, according to the release.

An official illustration of the spacecraft unveiled last year hinted at its potential, depicting the futuristic vehicle intercepting a hostile satellite attempting to disable a friendly satellite, suggesting its role in space defence operations, stated a report in the  New York Post . Another report in Live Science stated that X-37B, a covert, remotely operated spacecraft developed by Boeing, is designed for undisclosed missions under the direction of the US Department of Defense (DOD). While its specific operations remain classified, Live Science said that the spacecraft has previously been used to study the impact of solar radiation on seeds.

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Work Continues at KSC on New Spaceplane

The Dream Chaser spacecraft glides to a landing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, following a successful free flight demonstration in 2017. Photo Credit: NASA

Dream Chaser, with roots in a NASA project from the 1990s, will take lifting body design to new heights.

Inside the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams are making progress preparing a new spacecraft—the Dream Chaser spaceplane—for final assembly, testing, and pre-launch processing before its first flight to the International Space Station (ISS), likely now in 2025. Developed by Sierra Space with a foundation in NASA history, it will fly as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services program.

The Dream Chaser is a “lifting body” spaceplane, which generates significant lift through its body shape and nose cone design, and employs small, retractable wings. This enables it to return from space with less g-forces and touchdown gently on a landing strip.

Dream Chaser and its cargo module undergoing testing at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility to prepare for the extreme environment of space. Photo Credit: NASA/Jef Janis

Its first flight will launch to the ISS from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket. It will be paired with the company’s Shooting Star cargo module. This module attaches to the back of Dream Chaser and features thrusters for operations in space, large, folding solar arrays for power generation, and an internal cargo capacity of 7,000 pounds. Shooting Star will be jettisoned during reentry, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.

The spacecraft arrived at KSC in May, following months of testing at The Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility, a remote campus of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio. It was tested in a variety of facilities there, including the Mechanical Vibration Facility. Over five weeks, the spacecraft were stacked on a powerful shaker table to simulate the vibrations of a launch aboard a Vulcan Centaur rocket.

It was also tested in the massive Space Simulation Vacuum Chamber, a 122 ft high, 100 ft diameter test area that effectively simulates the vacuum of space and can expose a spacecraft to the dramatic temperature fluctuations in low-Earth orbit—a 400-degree range from about -150 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Successful completion of an incredibly rigorous environmental testing campaign in close partnership with NASA is a significant milestone and puts Dream Chaser on track for operations later this year,” said Sierra Space CEO, Tom Vice, in a company press release.

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser® spacecraft shown on the runway at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center on May 20, 2017, preparing for a tow-test. Photo Credit: NASA/Ken Ulbrich

Dream Chaser is a striking spacecraft, just 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. Covered in 2,000 white and black thermal protection system tiles, it bears a passing resemblance—though considerably smaller—to NASA’s space shuttle, the workhorse of low-Earth orbit that was instrumental in assembling the ISS then regularly delivering crew and supplies.

But Dream Chaser’s roots most clearly trace back to work at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia in the early 1990s, where a team of researchers developed designs for an experimental spacecraft known as the HL-20. It was envisioned as a low-cost alternative to the shuttle for transporting crew to the ISS, with one permanently docked there as a ready return vehicle in the event of a mechanical or medical emergency.

The HL-20 was never built, but NASA worked with contractors on in-depth studies and assessments of the design, and the feasibility of developing a prototype and operational system. A full-scale model of the spaceplane was built in 1990 for human factors research.

The wingless, lifting body aircraft sitting on Rogers Dry Lake at what is now NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. From left to right are the X-24A, M2-F3 and the HL-10. The lifting body aircraft studied the feasibility of maneuvering and landing an aerodynamic craft designed for reentry from space. Photo Credit: NASA

The HL-20 built upon earlier research NASA conducted on “lifting body” aircraft. Between 1963 and 1975, NASA developed and built a series of thick, angled aircraft with small fins instead of wings. Engineers discovered in the 1950s that these design characteristics, coupled with a thick nose cone, would produce enough lift to enable a spacecraft to make a controlled entry through Earth’s atmosphere and land like a plane. The aircraft informed the design of the space shuttle.

NASA signed a licensing agreement in 2006, to allow a company known as SpaceDev to further develop the HL-20 concept into a commercial spacecraft. Sierra Space, then the Sierra Nevada Corporation, acquired SpaceDev in 2008 and continued developing Dream Chaser.

Inside the SSPF at KSC, work is underway and will continue this fall. The final assembly and system checks include closeout work on the propulsion system, leak testing, and installing the final thermal protection system tiles, which will protect the spaceplane from temperatures approaching 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry. Owing to technological advances, the tiles are larger, stronger and lighter than the 24,000 6-by-6-inch tiles used during the shuttle era.

Testing still ahead includes checks for electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility, simulations of the harsh acoustic atmosphere of launch, and runway tests of the braking system Dream Chaser will use when it returns to KSC from the ISS.

“The SSPF High Bay, a site rich with historical significance, hosted the foundations of the International Space Station and multiple payloads which travelled to space and subsequently helped unearth key discoveries and scientific breakthroughs which changed life on Earth,” Vice said, in a company press release. “Our work at this facility is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the space community, with systems bound for the space station—and even lunar-bound Artemis hardware—sharing the same space.”

About the Author

Kevin Wilcox is a technical writer for APPEL Knowledge Services.

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