Boeing X-37B remains one of the most secretive spacecraft in history. Despite seven very long space missions potentially lasting more than 900 days, never once have the officials explained what it does, other than abstract "orbital experiments."
Ever since the X-37B first took off on April 22, 2010, and throughout all of its missions, the Pentagon has not shown a single photo from the board of this spacecraft. Until now. The U.S. Space Force has released a photo from a camera installed on the spaceplane, which is used to "ensure the health and safety" of the X-37B, as stated by the press office.
Read more: Could Rockets Filled With Pellets and Splinters Really Destroy Satellites, as russians Imagine
The photo was taken while conducting experiments in a highly elliptical orbit in 2024, during the vehicle's seventh mission, which began on December 29, 2023, and is still ongoing. Defense Express adds, as far as is known, among the tasks to perform aerobraking, that way it can change the orbit parameters by entering the atmosphere, which allows to save a huge amount of fuel. It was also the first time that the X-37B was launched by SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, not the Atlas V.
In itself, the photograph is barely informative. It shows the internal compartment of the X-37B and the solar panel that the spaceship unfolds in space. The photo of the Earth itself only shows that it was taken at a fairly significant distance, or more precisely, beyond the parking orbit.
Notably, the secrecy of the X-37B's operations has become the subject of many conspiracy theories. Because even the appearance of the spaceship itself after landing surrounded by technicians in protective hazmat suits often sparks interest. But this one is actually quite trivial: the suits are explained by the need to deal with some toxic components of its fuel.
At present, the X-37B is the smallest reusable spacecraft. It is 8.92 meters long with a wingspan of 4.55 meters. Its total takeoff weight is almost 5 tons, including about 23 kg of payload, which is placed in a cargo compartment measuring 2.1 by 1.2 meters. It is known that there are two X-37Bs in service that fly alternately, it is the second unit that is now deployed in orbit.
Read more: Are Ukrainian Forces Ready for Starlink Shutdown and Is Musk Likely to Do It?
