US Space Force's Supersecret Spacecraft Still Orbits the Earth After Two Years

A covert US spacecraft is still orbiting the earth for over 780 days, with no idea when it will be landing soon.

The secret spacecraft was launched on May 17, 2020, from the facilities of Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41 and is on its sixth mission, the X-37B or Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6), a project of the US that is not widely known.

X-37B Sets New Record in Space Flight

On July 7, the Boeing spacecraft surpassed its previous best of 780 days set in 2019 by reaching over 781 days in orbit, reported the EurAsian Times.

According to Boeing Space, the X37B is the only multi-use spaceplane with another endurance flight it has embarked on, and the first was in 2010, congratulating the US Air Force (USAF) and the X-37B team.

The spacecraft is designated as an orbital technology platform similar to NASA's space shuttles.

An autonomous re-entry spacecraft, the X-37B, is based on the X-37 design from NASA. It is vertically launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) with the assistance of a rocket, where it conducts long-term space technology experimentation and testing while orbiting the earth, per the US Air Force.

Upon receiving a directive from the ground, the OTV returns to the atmosphere on its own, descends, and makes a horizontal landing on a runway.

The US spacecraft is 8.8 meters long and as tall as 2.9 meters, with a wingspan slightly less than 4.6 meters. The aircraft's dimensions are 4,990 kilograms at launch, and its flight ceiling is 240 to 850 kilometers, according to Space.

The X-37 program was launched in 1999 and was first managed by NASA until being handed off to the covert Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2004.

In November 2006, the USAF announced that it would develop the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, an adaptation of the original X-37A design from NASA (OTV). Boeing was the main contractor for the OTV program and is thought to have built two X-37B aircraft.

The OTV was given to the US Space Force, now in charge of flying the spacecraft. A list of the technologies being evaluated with this spacecraft is provided in the USAF's fact page on the OTV program, even though many of its space missions and experimental activity are shrouded in mystery.

Orbital Test Vehicle Technology

The topline technologies used on the spaceplane are advanced guidance, navigation, and control, avionics, thermal protection systems, reusable conformal insulation, lightweight electromechanical flight systems, propulsion systems, materials, and autonomous orbital flight, re-entry, and landing.

X-37 B trials have also been the subject of several public revelations. For instance, the US Naval Research Laboratory tested its roughly tiny pizza box-sized Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module (PRAM) solar panel on the OTV last year, stated Daily Mail.

The PRAM is a technology made to gather solar energy and transform it into microwaves that can be sent from orbit back to earth.

Aside from PRAM, the OTV-6 is thought to be outfitted with the FalconSat-8, a satellite developed by the USAF Academy that carries five experimental payloads. NASA develops two experiments to study the effects of space on various materials and the effect of radiation on plant seeds.

The covert US spacecraft is still orbiting the earth and demonstrating technologies on the platform for future variants.