As the U.S.A. Space Force’s secretive spaceplane finally landed, and Florida observed sonic booms across the land. This incident took place on Saturday morning around 5:22 a.m.
This was after the Space Force announced that the spaceplane that had been orbiting since May 2020 was finally coming down.
The Test Vehicle-6 Boeing X-37B Orbital is the name of this spaceplane and it landed at the Kennedy Space Centre Shuttle Facility of NASA. Once it was de-orbited, the people of Florida heard sounds and many even questioned its existence.
As The Space Force’s Covert Spacecraft Lands In Florida, There Are Loud Booms
The Space Forced reported that their service module was separated from the vehicle’s back. This was before the successful landing and it was necessary for the X-37B orbital vehicle. It helped the vehicle enter the Earth’s atmosphere and land easily.
The first mission of X-37B that was included in the service module was OTV-6. It experimented for around 908 days. After that, several tests and experiments were performed by the USAF, USSF, and NASA.
The third flight by Space Force started on May 17, 2020, and it still hasn’t been named. This flight covered the area from Atlas V rocket to Cape Canaveral. It successfully deployed the FalconSat-8. This happened for U.S. Air Force Academy in 2021 (October).
Florida witnessed the sonic boom last Saturday. But it wasn’t the only one. Before that, there have been several reports of sonic booms. That was because the X-37B followed the route of the state and landed at NASA’s landing facility. This robotic military spacecraft looks like a small space shuttle. Although it is physically a miniature of the regular space shuttle, it has already garnered several headlines since it was initially launched in 2010. This is because there always has been secrecy and there has been an unprecedented ability to stick within the orbit for years. X-37B is also capable of changing its position within the orbit.
Boeing, who has built X-37B released a statement and said that the spaceplane has completed its 6th mission. This reusable plane has now covered 1.3 billion miles and has spent approximately 3,774 days in space. It has also performed experiments for industrial partners and the government. It has always come back to Earth for evaluation without any difficulty.
Boeing is not only the designer but he also operates this secretive spaceplane’s processing facility. It is situated right by the Vehicle Assembly space at KSB. Once the spaceplane lands, it is transported to the facility, processed, and prepared for the lift-off on a new rocket. As per the Space Force and Boeing, there are some payloads of the OTV-6 –
- A method to design, construct, and release the satellite for the Air Force Academy cadets. This is before they join the Space Force.
- The service module is used to improve the payload numbers that are carried to the orbit.
- NASA investigations about how space exposure would affect the seeds and material. It can further impact the way food is grown at times long missions.
- Experiment to harness solar energy and transmit it to the earth through microwave energy.
Boeing also informed that originally, X-37B was specifically designed to fly for only 270 days on every mission. But now, as the missions are increasing, the plane is improving its ability and breaking its records. X-38B is pushing boundaries and this has allowed the government and industries to host multiple experiments safely.
Before the recent mission was performed, this secret space plane was orbiting for around 780 days. After that, it came back to Earth (October 2019).