Space Force schedules the next mission for its secret robot plane
The American space force will offer farewells in the summer by launching its secret space plane (not so secret), the X-37B. According to an announcement of July 28, the orbital trial vehicle manufactured from the Boeing should embark on its eighth mission (OTV-8) of Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 21. After reaching a trip on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the X-37B will orbit more above the earth while facilitating multiple experiences of useful loads. His exact altitude capacities are unknown, but the previous estimates put him around 250 miles above the planet.
The spatial force has described the X-37B as a “dynamic and reactive spaceship responsible for carrying out a range of tests and experiences that accelerate the development of new generation critical technologies and operational concepts for reusable space capacities.” In civilian terms, this means that the X-37B hosts a range of useful classified and non-classified loads intended to strengthen American defense capacities, among other objectives.
Although its larger objectives remain unrest, the federal government has not been shy as to the existence of the X-37B. Its first mission was widely reported in 2010, after a decade of development and construction. In 2017, Orlando residents could hear the sound boom at the atmospheric back to school of its fifth mission.
However, not all experiences are wrapped in secrets. The spailed spatial force plans to test a new laser communication system, as well as the “most efficient quantum sensor ever ever tested in space”. The old project is supervised by the Air Force research laboratory and will focus on the radius of infrared light full of data in terrestrial orbit. Lasers are able to store much more information and is considered much more secure than commonly used radio frequencies. The development and implementation of technology would have a large range between military, commercial and government applications.
Meanwhile, the demonstration of a quantum inertial sensor will offer engineers from the defense innovation unit an unprecedented opportunity to continue to refine an without help navigation system intended to be a successor to the GPS. Instead of relying on satellites orbit around the earth, the inertial sensor determines positioning by measuring the acceleration and rotation of atoms at a quantum level.
“This technology is useful for navigation in GPS -based environments and will therefore improve the resilience of the navigation of American spaceships in the face of current and emerging threats,” said Space Force in its ad. Quantum inertial sensors can also be decisive for astronauts stationed in a permanent lunar base.
We do not know how long OTV-8 will last, but if the missions are an indication, the non-bizeré plane will remain above the planet for a certain time. The most recent mission of X-37B was launched on December 28, 2023 and returned after 434 days in orbit. Its longest mission (OTV-6) took place from December 28, 2023 to March 7, 2025 and lasted 908 days.
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