The United States Space Force has released a rare photo taken by its top-secret X-37B space plane while orbiting the Earth in 2024. The image shows the side of the plane with a distant Earth looming in the background.
The X-37B has been on several secretive missions since its seventh mission began in December 2023. The mission’s goals include testing new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness technologies, and investigating radiation effects on materials provided by NASA.
In October, Space Force announced that the space plane would undergo a series of “aerobraking” maneuvers to alter its orbit and generate drag. This maneuver is crucial for safely changing the space plane’s trajectory using minimal fuel.
The X-37B has previously tested beaming solar power from space and thermal protection systems. During its last test flight, which concluded at the Kennedy Space Center in November 2022, the space plane spent a record 908 days in orbit.
Other countries are also testing secretive space planes. China’s Shenlong spaceplane was recently spotted emitting strong signals while passing over North America. Like the US X-37B, details about Shenlong’s purpose and ongoing missions remain scarce.
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Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/space-force-releases-photo-earth-164846532.html