Not every day I see a glimpse of what a mysterious space plane is doing in orbit. This week, the U.S. Space Force shared a picture it said, snapped up by X-37B last year, showing the distance of the earth and some of the craft itself. The X-37B was launched on the seventh mission at the end of 2023, although it is not clear about the needs of the mission. Its previous flight ended in 2022, setting a new endurance record for spacecraft, recording 908 days in orbit.
There isn't much information to be collected from the photos, but it does provide a rare look for the X-37B in space. “The X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captured images of the Earth during experiments at HEO in 2024,” Space Force wrote on X.
One thing we're told about the current mission is that it marks the first time that Boeing-made X-37B has tried a maneuver called Alobraking, or changing the track's more fuel-efficient way by “using a series of passes” The way to the earth's atmosphere resistance. “The Space Force said in October that the vehicle had begun the process, with the latest update indicating it was successful. “The X-37B performed a series of primary operations called Aneobraking to safely change its orbit with minimal fuel ,” Space Force noted. It is not clear how long the mission will continue.
This article originally appeared on Engadget
