In a cutting-edge milestone for orbital innovation, the U.S. military‘s secretive X-37B space plane has begun advanced aerobraking maneuvers to shift its orbit.
Launched on its seventh mission (OTV-7) in December 2023 via SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, the X-37B has been orbiting the Earth in a highly elliptical path, reaching well beyond the altitude at which satellites normally stay in sync with the planet’s rotation before rapidly closing in near Earth’s atmosphere.
Now, instead of relying on fuel, the space plane is using atmospheric drag to reduce its orbit gradually, a process that could extend mission durations significantly.
Although information has been released about the space plane’s capabilities, much about it remains a mystery, including exactly what it is used for.
Hellbound and Down 