X-37B: Compact spaceship with outstanding US capabilities

According to the 1945 military website, the X-37B is an American self-propelled unmanned space plane with special features and very compact, it is an exotic spacecraft that makes rivals such as China and Russia worry.

X-37B aircraft.

The plane, also known as an orbital test plane, has flown six missions since 2010. The X-37B is just 29 feet long and a fraction of the size of a ship. space shuttle, which is launched by rocket and lands horizontally like a conventional plane.

The use of X-37B in space

Most mission instructions and machine details are kept secret. 'Can it be used to destroy enemy satellites?', space war analysts once humorously discussed. But the US military denies that aggressive activity and claims the X-37B serves only peaceful purposes as a science and technology experiment. For example, they are testing new technology on reconnaissance satellites and other orbiting spacecraft, also collecting data on vertical launch mechanisms for flight control and other space component testing.

Set more expectations

Before being handed over to the Space Force, in 2020 they described a series of activities of the X-37B. Although this spacecraft has only a small payload, it is impressive with leading technology features in navigation and control, thermal protection system, avionics, light electromechanical flight system, air conditioning system. Advanced propulsion, advanced materials, self-propelled… The cutting-edge technologies make the X-37B a valuable spacecraft, so this 9.5-foot (nearly 2.9 meters) machine was built to last. Given the high expectations of being able to carry out more missions and fly in longer orbits, it will likely continue to be launched by rockets such as Atlas V (501) and SpaceX Falcon 9.

History of X-37B

Production of the X-37 began in 1999 under the supervision of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In 2004, it was transferred to the secret military consulting organization Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), of which Boeing is also a partner. It is known that this defense contractor built two X-37s with the air force acting as project coordinator and brought the X-37B into the US Space Force. During the space mission in 2017, this small craft was in orbit (150 – 500 miles from Earth) for an amazing period of 718 days, then on the 5th mission it lasted up to 780 days.

America's opponents have to worry

US adversaries, such as China and Russia, are concerned about the X-37B's activities in the skies. In 2019, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said at the Aspen Security Forum that the X-37B has the ability to change its trajectory: 'Our adversary does not know (its trajectory) .

Each X-37B mission costs about 200 million USD. Given its long orbital duration, reusable features and unmanned capabilities, and conducting such critical tests, the price tag is not low. Therefore, China and Russia think that the X-37B can perform military tasks such as transporting ammunition for killer satellites. The US Space Force is delighted to operate the X-37B as a demonstration of science and technology, developed to help other space missions succeed.