US ‘secret spacecraft’ returns to Earth after 3 years

The spacecraft named X-37B, which was sent into space by the United States Space Force in 2020, finally returned to Earth. The vehicle, which remained in orbit for 908 days and collected some orbital information for NASA, was fully autonomously controlled.

X-37B carrying NASA’s experiments, 908 days later on Earth

The orbital test vehicle named X-37B, produced by Boeing, was launched in May 2020, depending on the US Air Force. Many of the X-37B’s past missions have been kept secret, but its 908 daily missions have been revealed. The final launch hosted many NASA experiments, such as the naval antenna experiment and radiation shield research.

Boeing’s X-37B spacecraft actually looks like a much smaller and windowless version of the famous Space Launch System (SLS). This vehicle, which was produced for the US army’s Space Force, has recently helped NASA. The entire 908-day journey in orbit was devoted to NASA experiments.

The US space agency has been wanting to do much longer astronaut experiments for years. But for this, it has to protect its spacecraft and astronauts from harmful radiation. NASA also used the X-37B to understand what would happen to plant seeds in space over the long term.

Another orbital experiment, FalconSat-8, launched in 2021, will remain in space. “The FalconSat-8 remains in orbit and provides students of the U.S. military with unique hands-on experience as space operators prior to active duty,” the Space Force said.

After the X-37B spacecraft’s 908-day journey, its new mission is currently unclear. It should also not be overlooked that there are two orbital test vehicles affiliated with the Space Force.

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