{"id":1745050,"date":"2022-11-19T06:30:18","date_gmt":"2022-11-19T11:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1745050"},"modified":"2022-11-19T10:48:32","modified_gmt":"2022-11-19T15:48:32","slug":"heres-what-we-know-about-u-s-space-forces-mysterious-spaceplane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-what-we-know-about-u-s-space-forces-mysterious-spaceplane\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s What We Know About U.S. Space Force\u2019s Mysterious Spaceplane"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fheres-what-we-know-about-u-s-space-forces-mysterious-spaceplane%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1745050&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. military\u2019s mysterious, uncrewed and reusable spaceplane \u2014 the X-37B \u2014 landed at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Saturday morning after 908 days in orbit, marking the completion of its sixth mission since it was launched for the first time in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Few operational spaceplanes exist at this point, and the Pentagon has been tight-lipped regarding its own Boeing-built, X-37B robotic test vehicle over the years. Details about associated payloads are largely classified.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Though somewhat similar and often compared to NASA\u2019s Space Shuttle \u2014 which is no longer in service \u2014 the X-37B is smaller and isn\u2019t intended to carry humans. Equipped with a payload bay that is the size of a pickup truck, it is instead designed to enable unmanned, on-orbit experiments and technology demonstrations \u2014 and to return data and research objects back to scientists and engineers on Earth for deeper inspection and analysis.<\/p>\n<p>During its latest, recently concluded mission, the Space Force\u2019s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-6 (OTV-6) assisted multiple government-led studies, including for NASA, the Naval Research Laboratory and Air Force Academy. For the first time, it transported a service module attached to its rear \u201cthat allowed us to host more experiments than ever before,\u201d Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, X-37B program director in the Department of the Air Force\u2019s Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom what we know, this mission was significant because it is the longest ever for the X-37B and it carried the most payloads to orbit. But it is entirely possible there are other milestones achieved by this mission that the Space Force is not telling us about,\u201d Todd Harrison, non-resident senior associate for the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and managing director of Metrea Strategic Insights, told DefenseScoop on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Christopher Stone, senior fellow for space studies at the Mitchell Institute\u2019s Spacepower Advantage Research Center, told DefenseScoop on Monday that he\u2019s \u201cvery excited to see this program continue under the leadership of the Space Force following its handoff from the Air Force.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon\u2019s primary use for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.af.mil\/About-Us\/Fact-Sheets\/Display\/Article\/104539\/x-37b-orbital-test-vehicle\/\">X-37B<\/a> seems to be moving experimental payloads into orbit to test new and emerging space technologies \u2014 at least that\u2019s a conclusion that could be drawn \u201cfrom what is publicly known,\u201d Harrison told DefenseScoop.<\/p>\n<p>The platform \u201cappears to have significant propulsion capabilities, so it can change its orbit or, in theory, boost the orbit of other satellites,\u201d he noted. Such technology could enable the military to move low-flying satellites to higher orbits so they stay aloft longer, effectively prolonging their usability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is also possible that the X-37B may have some robotic capabilities that would allow it to perform repairs or upgrade satellites on orbit, like the Space Shuttle did for the Hubble Space Telescope, but this is just speculation,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that this X-37B technology is very similar to China\u2019s efforts to test a reusable spaceplane, which caused \u201ca bit of an uproar\u201d last year in the U.S. national security community. Some observers at the time referred to the Chinese tech as an \u201corbital bombardment system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe X-37B is a hypersonic glide vehicle, and its mere existence could be cause for concern for our adversaries \u2014 just as any developments our adversaries make in hypersonic flight is of concern for us,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n<p>The latest X-37B mission was aimed at pushing the boundaries of space-based military experimentation and tech evaluations.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.webp 1920w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.webp?resize=300, 200 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.webp?resize=768, 512 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.webp?resize=1024, 683 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.webp?resize=1536, 1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.webp?resize=750, 500 750w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/X-37B-1.webp?resize=1021, 681 1021w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">X-37B orbital test vehicle (Photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Shanks)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAside from the record-setting length of the flight and precision landing at Kennedy Space Center, one of the biggest advances this flight demonstrated was a tech demonstration of a space-based solar power transmission system for Naval Research Laboratory,\u201d the Mitchell Institute\u2019s Stone noted.<\/p>\n<p>He was referring to the NRL\u2019s Photovoltaic Radio-Frequency Antenna Module (PRAM) that the spaceplane hosted, which tapped solar rays outside of Earth\u2019s atmosphere and sought to transmit power to the ground in the form of radio frequency microwave energy. <\/p>\n<p>Stone, who previously served as an Air Force space operations officer and presidential appointee in the Defense secretary\u2019s space policy office, told DefenseScoop that this module was \u201cset to analyze the antenna\u2019s energy conversion process from solar energy to a beam to send to Earth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The most recent flight could have major implications for the execution of the new National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, especially with regards to climate initiatives and energy supplies for forward-deployed forces, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs far as I know, this is the first time a space solar power demo has been conducted in space. From what I am hearing it was successful and, if operationalized, could aid the current National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy efforts towards finding alternative, clean sources of energy to beam to warfighters deployed worldwide\u201d \u2014 and particularly in remote areas, Stone added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The PRAM is roughly the size of a pizza box, and was attached to the military\u2019s X-37B when it took off for its latest mission in May 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven the Chinese are also working vigorously on such a space energy beaming system as well, this could give the U.S. an edge in fielding such a system, should one be approved. At the very least, space qualifying this particular piece of the system is a huge step forward for many who have been working on such concepts for decades,\u201d Stone said.<\/p>\n<p>Supporting another Defense Department-led effort, the OTV-6 mission also delivered the Air Force Academy\u2019s Falcon-SAT-8 into orbit. To Stone, that work is \u201chuge\u201d from an educational standpoint for future Space Force guardians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis provides training in both design and operations of spacecraft that will give these cadets valuable experience before they commission. That satellite remains in orbit, from what I have heard, for the cadets to learn about space mission operations hands-on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Among NASA experiments the recent mission enabled was an investigation into the effects of long-duration space exposure on seeds, to inform future crop production that could sustain permanently inhabited bases in space \u2014 something the U.S. government envisions down the line.<\/p>\n<p>And NASA\u2019s Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space (METIS-2) experiment built on other efforts to collect data for scientists to assess and later use to simulate ways that space settings can impact thermal control coatings, printed electronic materials, and candidate radiation shielding materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-future-missions\">Future missions<\/h2>\n<p>Experts who spoke to DefenseScoop pointed out that the X-37B might be many things, but it is notably both an experiment \u2014 and an experiment carrier \u2014 for the government to mature capabilities like those mentioned above.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven its own flight profiles have shown that it is possible to have autonomous orbital flight, re-entry, and landings\u201d at locations in California and Florida, Stone said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving the ability to demonstrate technologies in space, expose them to the space environment for long periods of time, and getting them space-rated from a technology readiness level is a very important military mission. That is vital to getting systems approved and in space for use by the Space Force and the other services. Some of the technologies that have been tested include such things as advanced materials such as NASA\u2019s METIS-2 that sought to learn how space environment impacts these materials,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Though he has not yet heard \u201cwhen the next mission will fly,\u201d Stone said \u201cthey have flown their fleet fairly frequently, so I would not doubt that we will see another one fly soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Space Force Spokesperson told DefenseScoop on Monday that \u201claunch dates and details of future missions will be released as they become available.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe X-37B maintains a flexible launch capability in order to accommodate experimental and mission objectives,\u201d the spokesperson noted.<\/p>\n<p>The platform could potentially serve as a space weapon in the future if that\u2019s what the Pentagon wanted it to do, experts say. Defense officials increasingly view space as a warfighting domain where the United States will have to compete with advanced adversaries such as China.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne could argue that any spacecraft could be used as an offensive weapon, but just because something can be used as a weapon does not mean it is intended to be used as a weapon or would even be effective if used offensively,\u201d Harrison noted. \u201cFrom what we can tell based on its orbital track and history of use, it does not appear to have any offensive roles or missions \u2014 nor does it appear to be ideally suited for an offensive role.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his view, if the \u201cmilitary wanted an offensive capability on orbit, it would not need to go through the extra expense and complexity of also making it a reusable spaceplane.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Earlier deployments and tests of Soviet Union-controlled satellites with offensive capabilities in the 1960s \u201clooked nothing like this,\u201d he noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is possible that some of the technologies being tested on the X-37B could be for offensive or defensive counterspace missions, but the U.S. military has never indicated that this is the case,\u201d Harrison said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. military\u2019s mysterious, uncrewed and reusable spaceplane \u2014 the X-37B \u2014 landed at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Saturday morning after 908 days in orbit, marking the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1745053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1745050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1745050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1745050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1745050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1745053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1745050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1745050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1745050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}