US Military Space Plane Reaches 900 Days in Orbit! What is X-37B Aircraft Really Used For?

The U.S. military's mysterious space plane was able to break its own record once again.

This time, the robotic aircraft was able to stay in orbit for 900 days.

The aircraft was able to achieve this new flight duration record during its sixth flight, which started on May 17, 2020.

Since the defense organization hasn't shared much detail about this mysterious space airplane, it is still unclear when its flights will end.

US Military Space Plane Reaches 900 Days in Orbit!

According to Space.Com's latest report, the first flight (OTV-1) of X-37B was conducted back on April 22, 2010.

(Photo : Photo credit should read JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images)
An attendee of the 35th Space Symposium takes a picture of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle by Boeing during the 35th Space Symposium at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 9, 2019.

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It lasted until December 3, 2010, reaching a record of 224 days in orbit.

Aside from this, the robotic airplane completed four more test flights after the first. Here are its recent records:

• OTV-2: 468 days in orbit (From March 5, 2011, to June 16, 2012)
• OTV-3: 674 days in orbit (From December 11, 2012, to October 17, 2014)
• OTV-4: 718 days in orbit (From May 20, 2015, to May 7, 2017)
• OTV-5: 780 days in orbit (From September 7. 2017, to October 17, 2019)

Based on the records provided above, the flight duration of the U.S. military's space plane just keeps on getting longer and longer.

The U.S. military hasn't confirmed the main use of this mysterious robotic aircraft.

But, sources were able to know some major details about the things happening in the aircraft during its sixth flight.

One of these is that a service module was used to host experiments. These include two NASA studies involving radiation and other space effects.

Aside from this, the experiment of NRL (Naval Research Laboratory) was also conducted during the sixth flight.

Facts About X-37B

The advanced robotic aircraft of the U.S. military is truly a remarkable innovation.

If you are interested to know more about it, here are some facts provided by Live Science:

• X-37B can last for years in orbit.
• X-37B once had a version that could carry human passengers.
• X-37B was already photographed by numerous civilians.
• X-37B is compatible with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

If you want to learn more details about this space airplane, you can click here.

Aside from X-37B, other unusual aircraft models are also being developed.

Recently, the Sky Whale plane, a three-story aircraft, was introduced.

NASA's Supersonic X-59 was also reportedly being developed.

For more news updates about airplanes and similar vehicles, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

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Written by Griffin Davis