WASHINGTON — The secretive X-37B military spaceplane touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 7, concluding its seventh mission after spending more than 434 days in orbit, the U.S. Space Force announced.
Designated Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the autonomous spacecraft launched on December 28, 2023, marking several firsts for the program – including its first flight aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket and operations in a highly elliptical Earth orbit (HEO).
“Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B’s ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said in a statement following the landing.
The Space Force considers the mission particularly significant for its demonstration of aerobraking maneuvers — a technique that uses atmospheric drag during multiple orbital passes to change the spacecraft’s trajectory while conserving fuel. This capability provides tactical advantages that align with the Space Force’s growing focus on space domain awareness and orbital agility.
The aerobraking capability essentially gives the X-37B a stealth mode for orbital changes without visible propulsion signatures that might be detected by adversaries.
The mission also incorporated NASA experiments and conducted space domain awareness tests designed to collect data on orbital maneuvering. These tests are expected to inform the development of next-generation space capabilities and enhance the Space Force’s understanding of how various sensors and tracking systems perform when monitoring spacecraft across different orbital regimes.
The X-37B program, managed jointly by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the United States Space Force with Boeing providing the spacecraft and mission support, has served as a platform for both classified military tests and civilian space experiments. While many mission details remain confidential, the Space Force has gradually shared more information about the program’s role in developing new concepts for space operations.
Related
