What was the function of the mysterious space plane that exceeded 900 days in orbit?
The Boeing-designed X-37B experimental orbital test aircraft broke the record for staying in space by marking 908 days in Earth orbit, eclipsing its previous endurance record.
The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6), the U.S. Space Force’s unmanned, reusable space plane, successfully de-orbited and landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center shuttle landing facility early yesterday morning. This vehicle resembles NASA’s retired space shuttle in 2011, but is much smaller, measuring only 8.8 meters from nose to tail. The space shuttle was 37 m long and piloted, another key difference, as the X-37B is autonomous.
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Space Force and Boeing describe the X-37B primarily as a test platform; the vehicle allows researchers to see how payloads perform in the space environment and then examine them on the ground. “Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it has broken records and provided our nation with an unmatched ability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing Space and Launch.
OTV -6 was the first mission to introduce a service module – a ring attached to the rear of the vehicle that expands the number of experiments that can be performed during a mission. “This mission highlights the U.S. Space Force’s focus on collaborative space exploration and expanding low-cost access to space for our partners, inside and outside the Department of the Air Force (DAF),” explained General Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.
This space feat was accomplished by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Delta 9, which operates the 3rd Space Experiment Squadron’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. Designed as part of a pilot test program intended to demonstrate technologies for reusable unmanned space tests, the X-37B remains one of the most unique aircraft in the U.S. arsenal.
The U.S. Air Force has previously flown five X-37B missions, OTV-1 through OTV-5. And OTV-6 launched to Earth orbit in May 2020 on its sixth mission for the program that also involves NASA.
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems was selected by NASA in the late 1990s to design and produce an orbital vehicle. The company’s advanced prototyping arm, Phantom Works, was charged with the task. Originally founded by McDonnell Douglass, this branch continued to operate within Boeing and has been instrumental in past projects such as the Bird of Prey and the X-32 Joint Strike Fighter. Over four years, approximately $192 million was spent on the X-37B project. In 2002, NASA’s new Space Launch Initiative framework allocated an additional $300 million contract to Boeing to partially fund the current project.
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Successful mission with many experiments
OTV-6 tested the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s photovoltaic radio frequency antenna module. This pizza-box-sized device is designed to convert solar energy into microwaves, which can then be transmitted to Earth. Its work could help bring space-based solar power closer to reality, experiment team members said.
OTV-6 also carried the FalconSat-8 satellite designed by cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, which has five experimental payloads of its own. The X-37B deployed FalconSat-8 in October 2021 and the satellite remains in orbit today, Boeing representatives said.
Multiple NASA experiments were also deployed on OTV-6. The Materials and Technology Innovation in Space (METIS-2) exhibit included thermal control coatings, printed electronics materials and candidate radiation shielding materials. METIS-1, which flew on OTV-5, consisted of similar sample plates mounted on the flight vehicle. NASA scientists will take advantage of data collected after the materials have spent more than 900 days in orbit and compare the observed effects with ground-based simulations, validating and improving the accuracy of models of the space environment.
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Another NASA experiment aims to investigate the effect of long-term space exposure on seeds. Scientists are interested in the resilience and susceptibility of seeds to the unique stresses of the space environment, particularly radiation. The seed experiment will inform the production of space crops for future interplanetary missions and the establishment of permanently inhabited bases in space.
“The X-37B continues to push the boundaries of experimentation, thanks to an elite government and industry team behind the scenes,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, X-37B program manager for DAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office. “The ability to conduct experiments on orbit and bring them home safely for in-depth analysis on the ground has proven valuable to the Department of the Air Force and the scientific community. The addition of the service module on OTV-6 allowed us to host more experiments than ever before,” he added.
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The U.S. Space Force is believed to have two X-37B vehicles, both provided by Boeing. To date, the duo has flown six orbital missions, each of which is known by the meaning OTV (“Orbital Test Vehicle”):
-OTV-1: Launched on April 22, 2010 and landed on December 3, 2010 (duration 224 days).
-OTV-2: March 5, 2011 to June 16, 2012 (468 days).
-OTV-3: December 11, 2012 to October 17, 2014 (674 days).
-OTV-4: May 20, 2015 to May 7, 2015 (718 days).
-OTV-5: September 7, 2017 to October 27, 2019 (780 days).
-OTV-6: May 17, 2020 to November 12, 2022 (908 days).
