U.S. military's space plane X-37B finally concluded its record-breaking longest mission, which lasted for 908 days.
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6) was designed by Boeing multinational corporation, which is prominently known for building rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and other spacecraft.
According to Space, the X-37B is described as a testing platform and vehicle that allows researchers to see how payloads work in the space environment and examine them afterward on the ground.
The U.S. Space Force's unmanned and reusable spaceplane has flown six missions since its touchdown. Space Ref reports that the X-37B OTV-6 successfully deorbited and landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility on Nov. 12 at 5:22 A.M.
What was the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6's Mission?
While most of the X-37B activities are usually classified, U.S. military officials revealed information about some of the payload hardware that the X-37B carried.
According to Space, the X-37B OTV-6 reportedly tested the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, which is designed to convert solar energy into microwaves and get beamed down to the Earth. Additionally, the OTV-6 carried the FalconSat-8, a satellite by the U.S. Air Force Academy that can carry five experimental payloads of its own.
Following the concluded space mission, Space Force's chief of space operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman further explained the objective of the X-37B OTV-6.
"This mission highlights the Space Force's focus on collaboration in space exploration and expanding low-cost access to space for our partners, within and outside of the Department of the Air Force," Gen. Chance Saltzman released in a press statement from Boeing.
According to Geekwire, the experiment proved successful in harnessing solar rays outside of the Earth's atmosphere to transmit power to the ground in the form of radio-frequency microwave energy. Following the 908 days in orbit, NASA scientists will now be able to leverage data collected and compare observed effects to ground simulations.
US Military Space Plane X-37B's Past Missions
The first launch of the X-37B dates back to 2010, now with six successful missions. X-37B Program Director Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen confirms that its missions have been proven valuable to the Air force and scientific community through its experiments.
"The X-37B continues to push the boundaries of experimentation, enabled by an elite government and industry team behind the scenes," said Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen.
Combining the number of days that the X-37B has spent in orbit from all of its missions amounts to a total of 3,774.4 days. The space plane has completed these missions as follows:
- OTV-1: 224 days in orbit (From April 22, 2010 to Dec. 3, 2010
- OTV-2: 468 days in orbit (From March 5, 2011 to June 16, 2012)
- OTV-3: 674 days in orbit (From Dec. 11, 2012 to Oct. 17, 2014)
- OTV-4: 718 days in orbit (From May 20, 2015 to May 7, 2017)
- OTV-5: 780 days in orbit (From Sept. 7. 2017 to Oct. 17, 2019)
- OTV-6: 908 days in orbit (From May 17, 2020 to Nov. 12, 2022)
Related Article : US Military Space Plane Reaches 900 Days in Orbit! What is X-37B Aircraft Really Used For?
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Written by: Andi C.
