9.07.2022
The shadowy space plane has once again shattered its own mission-duration record.
The records keep falling for the U.S. Space Force's robotic X-37B space plane.
As of today (July 7), the X-37B has been in Earth orbit for 781 days, breaking its previous record of 780. The reusable vehicle designed and built by Boeing is currently flying on its sixth mission, known as Orbital Test Vehicle-6 or OTV-6, which launched on May 17, 2020.
Boeing Space announced the milestone today(opens in new tab) on Twitter, writing that the space plane "has set another endurance record — as it has on every mission since it first launched in 2010" while also thanking the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Space Force, and other X-37B team members.
781 days and counting!The world's only reusable spaceplane, #X37B, has set another endurance record -- as it has on every mission since it first launched in 2010. Congratulations to the @USAirForce, @SpaceForceDOD and all our teammates who support X-37B! #SemperSupra pic.twitter.com/zzZAOG0Wa5July 7, 2022
The X-37B's current mission includes several classified payloads, but some of its on-board experiments have been made public. One such experiment deployed last year tested the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module, or PRAM, a small pizza-box-sized device aimed at converting solar power into microwaves which can then be beamed back to Earth from orbit.
Other payloads launched on OTV-6 include the U.S. Air Force Academy-designed FalconSat-8 satellite(opens in new tab) that carries five experimental payloads itself, and two NASA experiments designed to test the effects of radiation on plant seeds and assess the effects of space on various materials.
The X-37B's overall design is similar to that of NASA's now-retired space shuttle, although the X-37B is much smaller: the military space plane measures in at 29 feet (8.8 meters) in length and 9.5 feet (2.9 m) tall, and boasts a wingspan slightly under 15 feet (4.6 m).
At launch, the X-37B weighs 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms). The X-37B is designed to operate at a range of altitudes, anywhere from 150 to 500 miles (240 to 805 kilometers). The craft features fully automated de-orbit and landing capabilities and a fully electro-mechanical control system that eliminates the need for hydraulics. In a company fact sheet(opens in new tab), Boeing calls the X-37B "one of the world's newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft."
While there are rumors or theories that the X-37B might be a testbed for orbital weapons or could be used to capture adversary satellites, experts doubt these claims, arguing that the plane is far too small and not maneuverable enough to be used for these roles. The space plane's chief role likely involves testing new sensor systems and other technologies in orbit, as US military officials have long claimed.
While OTV-6 just set a new duration record for the X-37B program, 781 days is far from the overall spaceflight mark. Many Earth-observation satellites operate for 10 or more years, for example, and NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft are still alive in interstellar space, nearly 45 years after lifting off.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 7.11.2022
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US military's X-37B space plane zooms past 900 days in orbit
The robotic X-37B keeps extending its flight-duration record.
The U.S. military's X-37B robotic space plane just passed 900 days in orbit on its latest hush-hush mission, adding to the program's flight-duration record.
The current mission is the sixth for the X-37B program and is therefore known as OTV-6 ("Orbital Test Vehicle 6"). It launched on May 17, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and it's unclear when it will end.
OTV-6 is the first X-37B flight to use a service module to host experiments. The service module is an attachment to the aft of the vehicle that allows additional experimental payload capability to be carried to orbit.
The mission also deployed FalconSat-8(opens in new tab), a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory to conduct several experiments on orbit.
In addition, two NASA experiments are onboard the space plane to study the results of radiation and other space effects on a materials sample plate and seeds used to grow food.
Technology testing
A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) experiment is also onboard the space plane, evaluating technology to transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy.
That experiment, called the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module, or PRAM, continues to crank out data, said Paul Jaffe, an electronics engineer and researcher at the NRL.
"It's still chugging along," Jaffe told Inside Outer Space. "The longer we're up there, the more we learn."
The X-37B doubtless toted other payloads that we don't know about on OTV-6 as well; many of the vehicle's experiments and activities are classified.
Technologies being tested in the X-37B program include advanced guidance, navigation and control, thermal protection systems, avionics, high temperature structures and seals, conformal reusable insulation, lightweight electromechanical flight systems, advanced propulsion systems, advanced materials and autonomous orbital flight, reentry and landing, U.S. Space Force officials have said.
Flight roster
Here’s a listing of the previous flights of the Boeing-built space plane:
- OTV-1: launched on April 22, 2010 and landed on Dec. 3, 2010, spending over 224 days in orbit.
- OTV-2: launched on March 5, 2011 and landed on June 16, 2012, spending over 468 days in orbit.
- OTV-3: launched on Dec. 11, 2012 and landed on Oct. 17, 2014, spending over 674 days in orbit.
- OTV-4: launched on May 20, 2015 and landed on May 7, 2015, spending nearly 718 days in orbit.
- OTV-5: launched on Sept. 7, 2017 and landed on Oct. 27, 2019, spending nearly 780 days in orbit.
When and where OTV-6 will return to Earth is anybody's guess.
OTV-1, OTV-2 and OTV-3 landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, while the OTV-4 and OTV-5 missions touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
China's space plane
Meanwhile, China's orbital space plane, catalogued as 53357/2022-093A, is also circuiting the Earth. It was lofted on Aug. 4. Space tracker Robert Christy of Orbital Focus notes that China's craft recently ejected something into space.
That new object separated from the main vehicle between Oct. 24 and Oct. 30, Christy reported. The two objects are very close to each other and perhaps are station keeping, he said.
Quelle: SC
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Update: 12.11.2022
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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Nov. 12, 2022— The Boeing [NYSE: BA] built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) set a new endurance record after spending 908 days on orbit before landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:22 a.m. ET, November 12, 2022. This surpasses its previous record of 780 days on-orbit.
With the successful completion of its sixth mission the reusable spaceplane has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent a total of 3,774 days in space where it conducts experiments for government and industry partners with the ability to return them to Earth for evaluation.
For the first time, the vehicle carried a service module to augment the number of payloads it can haul. The module separated from the OTV prior to de-orbiting ensuring a safe and successful landing.
“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 (DAF),” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.
The sixth mission was launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in May 2020. Hosted experiments included a solar energy experiment designed by the Naval Research Lab, as well as a satellite designed and built by cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. The satellite, dubbed FalconSat-8, was successfully deployed in October 2021 and remains on orbit today.
This mission also hosted multiple NASA experiments including the Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space (METIS-2), which evaluated the effects of space exposure on various materials to validate and improve the precision of space environment models. This was the second flight for this type of experiment. Mission 6 also hosted a NASA experiment to evaluate the effects of long-duration space exposure on seeds. This experiment informs research aimed at future interplanetary missions and the establishment of permanent bases in space.
“Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Chilton, senior vice president, Boeing Space and Launch. “With the service module added, this was the most we’ve ever carried to orbit on the X-37B and we’re proud to have been able to prove out this new and flexible capability for the government and its industry partners.”
The X-37B program is a partnership between the U.S Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the U.S. Space Force. Boeing designed and manufactured the spaceplane and continues to provide program management, engineering, test and mission support from sites in Southern California, Florida and Virginia.
In 2020, the X-37B received the Robert J. Collier Trophy for advancing the performance, efficiency and safety of air and space vehicles.
As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity.
Quelle: BOEING
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Update: 14.11.2022
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Unmanned, solar-powered US space plane back after 908 days
An unmanned U.S. military space plane has landed after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and conducting science experiments
The Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) is shown at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. The unmanned U.S. military space plane landed early Saturday after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and conducting science experiments. The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Its previous mission lasted 780 days. (Boeing /U.S. Space Force via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- An unmanned U.S. military space plane landed early Saturday after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and conducting science experiments.
The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Its previous mission lasted 780 days.
“Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Chilton, a senior vice president for Boeing, its developer.
For the first time, the space plane hosted a service module that carried experiments for the Naval Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force Academy and others. The module separated from the vehicle before de-orbiting to ensure a safe landing.
Among the experiments was a satellite dubbed the FalconSat-8 that was designed and built by academy cadets in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. It was deployed in October 2021 and still remains in orbit.
Another experiment evaluated the effects of long-duration space exposure on seeds.
“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,” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.
The X-37Be has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent a total of 3,774 days in space.
Quelle: abcNews
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Sonic booms heard across Florida as secret Space Force spaceplane returns to KSC
A secretive Space Force spaceplane streaked across Florida early Saturday, generating unmistakable sonic booms en route to a landing at Kennedy Space Center that wrapped up another record-breaking mission.
Dozens of sonic boom reports surfaced as X-37B, a robotic military spacecraft that looks like a miniature space shuttle, followed an eastern path across the state and eventually landed at KSC's Launch and Landing Facility. In a statement, the Space Force confirmed touchdown occurred at 5:22 a.m. EST.
All told, the 30-foot spaceplane spent 908 days in low-Earth orbit, shattering the previous record of 780 days. Its purpose is largely a secret, but the Department of Defense says some of its secondary duties include hosting military research payloads, science experiments, and even NASA investigations.
Though physically small, X-37B has captured countless headlines since its first launch in 2010, mainly due to secrecy but also because of its unprecedented ability to stay in orbit years at a time. It also has the ability to stealthily change its position in orbit.
The spacecraft launches vertically on rockets like United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and SpaceX's Falcon 9, then lands like a plane at KSC. This specific mission, labeled OTV-6, took flight on an Atlas V rocket in May 2020.
"With the successful completion of its sixth mission the reusable spaceplane has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent a total of 3,774 days in space," Boeing, which built both X-37Bs in service, said in a statement. "It conducts experiments for government and industry partners with the ability to return them to Earth for evaluation."
Boeing operates an X-37B processing facility next to the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, which is only about two miles from the LLF's runway in a straight line. After landing, the spaceplanes are transported to the hangar there, processed, then prepped for liftoff on another rocket.
Some of OTV-6's payloads, according to Boeing and the Space Force, included:
- A new service module to increase the number of payloads carried to orbit.
- An experiment that harnessed solar power and transmitted it back to Earth in the form of microwave energy.
- An opportunity for Air Force Academy cadets to design, build, and deploy a satellite before joining the Space Force.
- And NASA investigations into how space exposure affects materials and seeds, the latter of which could impact how food is grown during long crewed missions.
"The ability to conduct on-orbit experiments and bring them home safely for in-depth analysis on the ground has proven valuable for the Department of the Air Force and scientific community," Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, the Space Force's X-37B program director, said in a release. "The addition of the service module on OTV-6 allowed us to host more experiments than ever before.”
What was the US military's secret space plane doing on its record-breaking mission?
The uncrewed X-37B space plane touched down at NASA’s Kennedy Space Station on Nov. 12 having spent a record 908 days in orbit
Technicians work with the recently landed robotic X-37B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 12, 2022. (Image credit: Boeing/US Space Force)
A secret space plane operated by the United States Space Force (USSF) has landed back on Earth after spending a record 908 days in orbit. But what it was doing above our heads remains shrouded in mystery.
The uncrewed X-37B space plane touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Station on Nov. 12 at 5:22 a.m. ET, concluding the sixth mission that it and another identical vehicle have completed since the first flight in 2010. Details on its activities during the record-smashing trip are sparse, but officials claim it was conducting a number of scientific experiments at around 249 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth.
The X-37B was first designed by Boeing for NASA, before being adapted for use by the U.S military. It is an airplane-spacecraft hybrid that in many ways resembles a miniature space shuttle. For its sixth mission, classified as Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6), it was launched vertically while perched atop an Atlas V rocket in May 2020. The space plane has now spent roughly 10 years in orbit across all of its missions, covering approximately 1.3 billion miles (2.1 billion km). The new 908-day flight smashes the 780-day record for a space plane in continuous orbit, which was also set by the X-37B during an earlier mission.
"The X-37B continues to push the boundaries of experimentation, enabled by an elite government and industry team behind the scenes," Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, X-37B program director at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement(opens in new tab). "The ability to conduct on-orbit experiments and bring them home safely for in-depth analysis on the ground has proven valuable for the Department of the Air Force and scientific community. The addition of the service module on OTV-6 allowed us to host more experiments than ever before."
The United States Space Force has revealed only a few morsels of information(opens in new tab)about the experiments conducted aboard the craft during its most recent flight. These include a test by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory that successfully harvested light from the sun before beaming it back to Earth as microwaves; and the deployment of an electromagnetically steered training satellite designed by U.S. Air Force cadets. NASA also provided an experiment, called Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space (METIS-2), that researched the effects of space on different materials.
No other details of the experiments on board were revealed, although this hasn’t stopped rivals from engaging in speculation. Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency, claimed in an April interview(opens in new tab) with the Russian state-owned news channel Russia-24 that the craft could be being used for spying or for carrying weapons of mass destruction. Chinese military expert and commentator Song Zhongping echoed this sentiment, telling the South China Morning Post(opens in new tab) that the craft’s ability to alter its orbit mid-flight gave it the ability to spy on other satellites or on Earth-based targets, as well as launch attacks from orbit.
"If the X-37B can be loaded with small satellites, it can also be loaded with weapons. It may also be able to be fitted with robotic arms to capture other satellites that are in orbit," Song said.
Former Pentagon official Heather Wilson has also remarked on the craft’s ability to alter its orbit, a capability she said was due to the significant drag generated by its low Earth orbit.
"Which means our adversaries don't know — and that happens on the far side of the Earth from our adversaries — where it's going to come up next," Wilson said at the Aspen Security Forum in 2019(opens in new tab). "And we know that that drives them nuts. And I'm really glad about that."
China also has a secret space plane, which was launched into orbit from a Long March 5B rocket on Aug. 4. Much like the X-37B, much of what it is doing in orbit is unknown.
Quelle: SC