The US Space Force’s mysterious X-37B spaceplane has returned to Earth after spending a record-breaking two and a half years (908 days) in Earth orbit. The plane landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 05:22 ET on Saturday, November 12, and completed its sixth successful mission so far.
While the agency didn’t say much about exactly what the Boeing-built spaceplane did, it said it had deployed the FalconSat-8, developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy, in October 2021. This small satellite carried five experimental payloads and is currently still in orbit. It also houses the Naval Research Laboratory’s photovoltaic radiofrequency antenna module, which is designed to convert sunlight into microwave energy and “transmit power to the ground.”
The spaceplane, which looks like a smaller version of NASA’s space shuttle, first took off in 2010, and almost no explanation has been given about its purpose since. X-37B, which carried a small number of satellites into space before this mission, made its return in 2019 after 780 days.
Some other experiments, this time on spaceplanes, included a NASA experiment that tested the effects of seeds from space exposure to “learn about space crop production for future interplanetary missions and enable the establishment of permanently resident bases in space.” Another experiment tested the effect of space radiation on various materials. NASA will then compare the results with materials on Earth.
“The X-37B has broken records since its initial launch in 2010, providing our nation with an unrivaled ability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing Space and Launch. With the added service module, this was the largest payload we’ve ever brought into orbit on the X-37B, and we’re proud to be able to demonstrate this new and flexible capability for government and industry partners.”
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