The X-37B has been in orbit for 500 days, but part of its mission is covered by military secrecy. Launched from a rocket Atlas v on May 20 last year from Launch Complex 41, in Cape Canaveral, the exact payload carried on board remains unknown.
The X-37B is a test bed for testing new technologies, designed to orbit the earth. According to official data from Boeing, the X-37B operates in low Earth orbit, between 177 and 800 kilometers above the planet. The International Space Station orbits about 350km
The X-37B is a quarter-size reusable platform the size of a standard NASA shuttle. In the previous mission, it remained in orbit for 675 days.
Last year, the Department of Defense revealed some details about the X-37B's missions. According to the Air Force, the platform is testing experimental propulsion systems, such as electric, and the durability of various materials in the space environment. However, such experiments and tests represent only a fraction of the missions conducted by the X-37B. Probably, the platform is located in a specific asset of the National Reconaissance Office. The NRO mission is to design, build, launch and maintain US intelligence satellites.
These are the only information available, the rest is classified.
The X-37B is a drone carried into orbit by a rocket, but which lands like a normal aircraft. Its dimensions do not allow to carry any human operators on board, but it has just enough cargo space to carry a small satellite. It has a wingspan of 4,6 meters and weighs 4,990kg at launch.
Program X is in the service of US federal agencies. The first official mission was launched in April 2010 and ended in December of the same year. The second took place from March 2011 to June 2012.
The Air Force reportedly conducted at least three covert operations with the X-37B platform. The current mission is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The X-37B will land at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The former shuttle launch facility is managed with the Air Force which will be tasked with recovering, renovating and preparing the platform for the next mission.
(photo: US Air Force)
