For the first time, we’re seeing an image from the record-breaking US military space plane while in Earth orbit.
Over the weekend, the US Space Force shared a photo taken by the spacecraft X-37B during its most recent secret mission.
It’s the first operational image shared while the space plane is in orbit.
The image shows part of the space plane, the blue marble of Earth and the darkness of space.
“An X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in HEO in 2024,” the US Space Force wrote on X.
“The X-37B executed a series of first-of-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel.”
The space plane is an orbital test platform for different experimentation missions, some of which are classified.
Its seventh mission, known as OTV-7, was launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in 2023 and included both unclassified and classified experiments.
Throughout its 15 years in operation, X-37B has set new records for time in orbit with each flight.
According to the space plane manufacturer Boeing, X-37B spent 908 days in orbit during its last mission, setting a new endurance record.
Prior to the most recent mission, the space plane was in orbit for 780 days before returning to Earth in October 2019.
The space plane lands on the former space shuttle runway, now called the Launch and Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The exact moment the space plane lands is confidential, but residents along Florida’s Space Coast will know when it’s back because of the sound of sonic booms when it lands.
