There United States Space Force He has published an image taken from the X-37B spaceoplane while orbit around the Earth, fueling the mystery around his mission.
From the first launch in 2010, the X-37b aircraft has accumulated beyond 4,000 days in orbitdistributed on seven missions. The last mission, started in December 2023, sees the space vehicle operating at high altitude for over a year.
A secret operation with still reserved details
The exact purpose of the aircraft remains classified, but the Space Force has released some details on its activities. In particular, in October 2024 he announced that The vehicle would have attempted an unprecedented maneuver in high terrestrial orbit (heo)aimed at changing its trajectory and disposing of components in compliance with the regulations on the mitigation of space debris.
«The use of the aerofrenal maneuver, which consists of a series of passages through the earthly atmosphere To exploit the aerodynamic resistance, it allows the vehicle to change its orbit with a minimum fuel consumption, “explained Space Force in an official press release. “A completed time the maneuver, theX-37B will resume its experimental tests and objectivesto then return safely, as happened in the previous six missions ».
The photo in orbit: what does it reveal?
On February 21, 2025, The Space Force He shared a photo taken by one of the on-board cameras of the X-37b, showing a portion of the vehicle and a wide view of the earth.
«An on -board camera of the former-37bused to monitor the state of health and safety of the vehicle, has captured an image of the Land during experiments conducted in high orbit in 2024 “said the Space Force in the post. «The X-37B performed a series of maneuvers of aerofrenal To change its orbit with a minimum consumption of fuel”.
Hypothesis and speculations on the mission
The real purposes of the X-37bwhich presents a design similar to NASA’s Space Shuttle, they remain wrapped in military secret. According to some analysts, the aircraft could be used for the deployment of spy satellites or for advanced tests of propulsion in space.
In the past, conspiracy theories They had hypothesized that the X-37b was a “space bomber”, but the experts denied this hypothesis. Changing the orbital trajectory of a space vehicle requires huge quantities of propellant, making the idea not very plausible for an attack weapon.
The official of the US Air Force
Air Force has provided rather generic explanations on the mission: «The orbital test vehicle X-37b (OTV) is an experimental program to demonstrate advanced technologies for a reliable reusable spatial platform Without crew, “said Air Force.
The main objectives of the program include the development of technologies For space aircraft reusable and the management Of experiments scientific that can be reported on earth for more in -depth analyzes. Innovations tested includes advanced driving, navigation and control systems, thermal protections, avionics, high temperature structures, innovative materials and advanced propulsion.
For now, The only certainty is that the mysterious X-37B continues to fly over the earth with unknown missions, under the watchful eye of the US Space Force.
