US Space Force's secretive X-37B returns to Earth after 434 days

TL;DR: The U.S. Space Force has successfully completed the seventh mission of the X-37B, an unmanned spaceplane that spent over 434 days in orbit. While its exact purpose remains classified, speculation continues about whether it serves as a surveillance tool, a rapid-response military asset, or something entirely different. Mission seven launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on December 28, 2023, taking off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spaceplane was put into a highly elliptical orbit, where it accomplished a "range of test and experimentation objectives." Late last year, the X-37B conducted a series of aerobraking maneuvers using the drag of Earth's atmosphere. This allowed the craft to change its orbit at a minimal fuel cost. The test additionally allowed the spaceplane to safely dispose of its service module components. At the time, the Space Force said the X-37B had also been conducting radiation effect experiments and was testing space ... Read full article.