Space Force X-37B Craft Landed Back to Earth After Two Years in the Space

The United States military's X-37B space aircraft has completed its sixth record-breaking flight. The robotic X-37B spacecraft landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 5:22 a.m., last Saturday (Nov. 12). EST (1022 GMT) (1022 GMT). The X-37B had been in orbit for 908 days, which was greater than 4 months and greater than any preceding X-37B flight.

On the just-completed mission, the Boeing-built space aircraft also contained a service module, a first for the United States. It was also the first X-37B flight to incorporate a command module, which is something the Space Force defined as a ring affixed to the back of the spacecraft that increases the number of experiments that may be housed during a trip.

Although the space agency and the government remains tight-lipped over what the Boeing-built spaceplane accomplishes, it did announce that the FalconSat-8 produced and used By the Air Force Academy would be deployed in Oct 2021. The Verge mentioned that the tiny spacecraft, which was carrying five experimental payloads, is still in orbit. It also housed a photovoltaic radiofrequency antenna module from the Naval Research Laboratory, which is meant to convert sun rays into microwave energy and send electricity to the ground.

Space Force X-37B: Initial Take Off

The spaceplane, which resembles a miniature version of NASA's Space Shuttle, initially took flight in 2010, and nothing is known about its mission since then. The X-37B previously transported a limited number of satellites into orbit, returning in 2019 following 780 days.

Another NASA experiment on board this time around looked into the effects of cosmic radiation on different materials, something NASA will subsequently compare to those on Earth. Since its maiden flight in 2010, the X-37B has broken records and offered our nation an unequaled capability to swiftly test and incorporate new space technologies, according to Jim Chilton, executive vice president of Boeing Space and Launch, as he mentioned in a statement.

This was the greatest they've ever transported to orbit on the X-37B, with the service module attached; and the astronomers were delighted to have been able to demonstrate the new and versatile capabilities for the administration and its industrial partners, according to Space.com report.

Collaborative Space Work in X-37B

Based on the Space Force and Boeing joint statement, the X-37B is primarily a testing platform; the spacecraft allows researchers to assess how payloads perform in space and then study them on the ground. As per Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Space Force's commander of space operations, the mission illustrates the Space Force's commitment to collaboration in space research and providing low-cost access to space for global partners, both within and outside the Department of the Air Force.

The X-37B expedition is a cooperation between the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office as well as the U.S. Boeing developed and built the spaceplane and continues to support it with program management, engineering, testing, and mission support from facilities in Southern California, Florida, and Virginia. The X-37B was awarded the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy in 2020 for improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air and space aircraft.

Boeing, a worldwide aerospace leader, designs, manufactures, and maintains commercial aircraft and defense goods, including space systems for clients in over 150 countries.

Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.