U.S. Space Force’s unmanned X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7) has concluded its seventh mission, successfully deorbiting and landing in California, the U.S. Air Force said Friday.
The Boeing-built reusable spaceplane program is shrouded in secrecy and was launched in December 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket to a highly elliptical orbit. By the time it touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 2:22 a.m. EST, it had remained on-orbit for more than 434 days.
Orbiter’s sixth mission, which concluded in November 2022, previously set an endurance record of 908 days in orbit.
At the time of its launch, Space Force said the spaceplane mission would specifically test operations in new “orbital regimes” and explore the effects of radiation on NASA payloads. Seeds, for example, will be exposed to the bitterness of space, perhaps to understand how humans could sustain interplanetary bases.
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In addition to conducting a range of tests and experiments while on orbit, OTV-7 conducted including the completion of a novel aerobraking maneuver that involved using atmospheric drag during the course of multiple passes to alter orbits while expending minimal fuel.
“Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B’s ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes,” said General Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations. “The successful execution of the aerobraking maneuver underscores the U.S. Space Force’s commitment to pushing the bounds of novel space operations in a safe and responsible manner.”
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