The Space Force’s X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth after over two years in space

The Space Force’s mysterious X-37B spaceplane Returned to EarthAfter breaking a new record, Two and a half year(908 days) in orbit. It landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, November 12th at 5:22AM ET, marking its sixth successful mission so far.

Although the agency remains unsure about the exact purpose of the Boeing-built spaceplane, it did disclose that the FalconSat-8 was deployed by the US Air Force Academy in Oct 2021. The small satellite was capable of carrying five payloads, and it is still in orbit. It hosted the Naval Research Laboratory’s photovoltaic radiofrequency antenna module as well, which is designed to convert solar rays into microwave energy and “transmit power to the ground.”

The spaceplane, which looks like a smaller version of NASA’s Space Shuttle, first took flight in 2010, and we haven’t learned much about its purpose of it since. The X-37B was capable of carrying a few satellites into orbit before this mission. It will be making its return in 2019, after 780 days.

Some other experiments on board the spaceplane this time around included one from NASA that tested space exposure on seeds to help “inform space crop production for future interplanetary missions and the establishment of permanently inhabited bases in space.” Another experiment tested the effect of space radiation on various materials, which NASA will then compare to materials here on Earth.

“Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” Jim Chilton, the senior vice president of Boeing Space and Launch In a statement. “With the service module added, this was the most we’ve ever carried to orbit on the X-37B and we’re proud to have been able to prove out this new and flexible capability for the government and its industry partners.”