After two years in space, The Space Force’s X-37B Spaceplane returns to Earth

The Mysterious Space Force X-37B Spaceplane landed on the groundAfter setting a record, two and a half years(908 days) in orbit. It landed at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Saturday, November 12, at 5:22 AM. ET marks its sixth successful mission.

Although the agency isn’t quite clear on the exact purpose of the Boeing-built spaceplan, it did reveal that it deployed the US Air Force Academy FalconSat 8 in Oct 2021. The small satellite was capable of carrying five payloads for testing and is currently in orbit. It also hosted the Naval Research Laboratory’s Photovoltaic Radiofrequency Anntenna Module. This module is designed to convert solar radiation to microwave energy and “transmit” energy to Earth.

The space plane looks a lot like the NASA space shuttle. It flew its first flight in 2010 and we don’t know much about its purpose. Prior to this mission the X-37B was capable of carrying a few satellites into orbit. Back in 2019 after 780 days.

NASA conducted a number of experiments aboard the space plane. One was to test the effect of space radiation on seeds. It did this in order to “inform space crop generation for future interplanetary missions” and establish permanent manned bases in space. NASA will also test the effects of space radiation upon different materials.

“Since the X-37B was first launched in 2010, it has broken records and provided our nation with an unparalleled ability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Shelton, senior vice president of Boeing Space and Launch. He said in a statement. “With the addition the service module, this was our highest orbital performance on the X-37B, and we are proud that we were able demonstrate this new, flexible capability for the government and its industry partners.”