The United States Space Force has provided a rare glimpse of its enigmatic X-37B space plane in orbit. This intriguing photo, released on Thursday, February 20, was captured by a camera onboard the X-37B as the secretive space plane orbited high above the African continent. The image showcases one of the plane's solar panels on the left side, while its open payload bay is visible along the top edge. Having launched on its seventh mission on December 28, 2023, atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the vehicle has been in orbit for well over a year.
The release of this photo marks a significant milestone for the X-37B, being the first-ever image of the space plane in orbit shown to the public. While the photo divulges minimal details about the vehicle’s current testing activities, it provides a breathtaking view of Earth in the background, highlighting the lofty altitude at which the vehicle is operating on its seventh mission.
Prior to this, we only had one other glimpse of the X-37B in orbit during the livestream of its most recent launch. During this event, viewers briefly saw the spacecraft deploying from the Falcon Heavy’s upper stage while its service module was still attached.
As the X-37B prepared to embark on its current mission, the U.S. Space Force disclosed that the flight would involve operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes. This mission also includes experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA, as per a Space Force statement.
Previous X-37B missions were conducted in low Earth orbit, but the newly released photo reveals that the space plane is currently operating much farther from Earth. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy is capable of launching payloads into geosynchronous orbit, which is over 22,000 miles (35,000 km) above our planet.
Recently, the X-37B made headlines when the Space Force and Boeing, its manufacturer, announced a new aerobraking maneuver. This technique utilizes the drag—or friction—generated by Earth's atmosphere to change orbit more efficiently.
According to a brief U.S. Space Force statement accompanying the photo, the image was taken while the X-37B was conducting experiments last year. Although it is unclear if these experiments were related to the aerobraking maneuvers, the statement does make reference to them.
An onboard camera, used to ensure the vehicle’s health and safety, captured an image of Earth as the X-37B conducted experiments in a highly elliptical orbit in 2024. As part of its seventh mission, the vehicle executed a series of first-of-its-kind maneuvers, known as aerobraking, to safely alter its orbit with minimal fuel consumption.
While the U.S. Space Force, and its former operator the U.S. Air Force, have remained tight-lipped about the space plane's lengthy missions, it is known that the X-37B serves as a test platform for new space technologies. To date, it has hosted payloads to test solar power beaming from space, thermal protection systems, and autonomous flight capabilities. According to the Space Force, the X-37B is the most advanced re-entry spacecraft, performing risk reduction, experimentation, and the development of concepts of operations for reusable space vehicle technologies.
The X-37B flew for a record 908 days on its sixth mission, concluding when it landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on November 12, 2022. The Space Force does not typically publish mission timelines, so it remains uncertain when the space plane might return to Earth to mark the end of its seventh flight.
