#x-37

love your blog btw!

Considering it's the only operational spaceplane at the moment, I think it's awesome! It is the only space plane design of the late 1990s and early 2000s to have survived (albeit being transferred from NASA to DoD) to this day.

But as to what it is actually doing in orbit for the DoD, it's hard to tell since it's mission is highly classified. It was designed by NASA to repair satellites in orbit and some have speculated about it might spy on other nations' satellites (possibly sabotage them) or deliver weapons to orbit.

But it's hard to know for sure since it doesn't operate at the same orbit as other satellites nor has it been observed by amateur astronomers tracking it.

I haven't done much speculation on it since I don't have enough info. But if I had to, I'd say it is some kind of spy sat that doubles as a test platform for different kinds of equipment and tech. The space shuttle did similar things and had launched a sat for testing the effects on materials and tech in the 80s and 90s. But I also wondered if it was used to give the USAF experience with a spaceplane since there was a program to build a reusable SSTO spaceplane (which was later cancelled).

Artist's Concept of X-37 Re-entry by NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center

"Pictured is an artist's concept of the experimental X-37 Reusable Launch Vehicle re-entering Earth?s atmosphere. NASA and the Boeing Company entered a cooperative agreement to develop and fly a new experimental space plane called the X-37 that would be ferried into orbit to test new technologies. The reusable space plane incorporated technologies aimed at significantly cutting the cost of space flight. The X-37 would be carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle or be launched by an expendable rocket. After the X-37 was deployed, it would remain in orbit up to 21 days, performing a variety of experiments before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and landing. The X-37 program was discontinued in 2003."

Date: August 13, 1999

"Pictured is an artist's concept of the experimental Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), the X-37 located in the cargo bay of a space shuttle with Earth in the background. The X-37 was designed to launch from the space shuttle's cargo bay as a secondary payload. Once deployed, the X-37 would remain on-orbit up to 21 days performing a variety of experiments before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and landing. The X-37 program was discontinued in 2003."

Date: August 13, 1999

US Air Force X-37B space plane returns to Earth - October 17, 2014

Landing automatically at Vandenberg Air Force Base after a 22-month mission, the mysterious space plane ended it's second flight (the third of the X-37B program). A product of Boeing's "Phantom Division," the full purpose of the X-37B has yet to be revealed, despite much speculation.

The spacecraft, although resembling the Space Shuttle, is actually much smaller - about 29 feet (8.8 meters) long and 9.5 feet (2.9 m) tall. It has a wingspan of about 15 feet (4.6 m).

The U.S. Air Force’s top secret robotic spaceplane returned to Earth yesterday after 675 days in orbit. Landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:24 AM Pacific Standard Time, this was the third and longest mission of the X-37B.

In the second image, you can see technicians in hazmat suits safing the vehicle from toxic fuels after landing.