Super Secret Military Spaceplane Lands With Telltale Sonic Boom
The X-37B spacecraft operated by the U.S. Air Force landed at Kennedy Space Center on the morning of May 7, causing a sonic boom that was heard by residents across central Florida. The unmanned spaceplane spent 718 days in orbit before coming down, about a month and a half longer than the craft's previous record of 674 days.
The Air Force operates two X-37Bs, which are reusable spaceplanes built by Boeing that launch on Atlas V rockets for extended missions in orbit. Similar to the Space Shuttle in appearance, the X-37B is only about a quarter of the size at 29 feet long. The spaceplane needs no cockpit or life support systems, and can operate in orbit for hundreds of days at a time. Like the Space Shuttle, the X-37B has double doors that cover a payload bay, which is about the size of the bed of a pickup truck.
What exactly the Air Force uses the X-37B for is classified. The description of the spacecraft on the USAF website reads: "Managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the X-37B program is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft that performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies."
It has been widely speculated that the craft is used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, spying on operations in places like Iran and North Korea. Because the craft can land and have its payload swapped out whenever the Air Force deems it necessary, the X-37B could potentially be used for a number of missions and testing platforms. Experts have also guessed that the X-37B could be used for testing autonomous flight technologies, serve as a communications relay in orbit, or serve as a testing platform for systems that could ultimately be used on a manned spacecraft.
The operations of the X-37B might be classified, but there is no hiding it when it reenters the atmosphere and shakes the countryside with a sonic boom. This is the first time the craft has landed in Florida, having performed all three of its previous landings in California. Another mission using the X-37B is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral later this year.
How long the X-37B will orbit this time, and what exactly it will be doing, is known only by a handful of people in the Department of Defense.
You Might Also Like
