For the first time, the US military’s secret spacecraft X-37B tested aerodynamic braking maneuvers in Earth orbit, announced by Boeing Space in a video.
Simulate the X-37B aircraft with aerodynamic braking thanks to the resistance of the Earth’s atmosphere. Image: Boeing Space
Normally, when changing orbit, satellites will use propulsion and require fuel. This means each satellite can only perform a limited number of burns before needing to be refueled or removed from orbit. The US Space Force said that aerodynamic braking is the use of friction and resistance from the Earth’s atmosphere to lower orbit but uses minimal fuel, according to the US Space Force. Live Science on November 10.
In the video, a Boeing representative said this operation will help change the altitude of the X-37B. After transitioning from a highly elliptical orbit to a lower circular one, the spaceplane will then release its service module components. These components will remain in orbit for a much shorter time than released in high orbit, thereby reducing space waste.
John Ealy, a Boeing engineer, explains that when aerobraking, they use atmospheric drag to gradually reduce aphelion until the desired orbit is achieved. “When we do this, we save a huge amount of fuel, and that’s why aerobrakes are important,” John Ealy says in the video.
Boeing’s video of the aerobraking maneuver shows the X-37B, like the airplane, changing its attitude, the direction it faces relative to the orbital direction, so that its flat “belly” faces forward as the nose points up, face away from Earth. The image also shows the spacecraft’s wider, flatter underside glowing orange due to the heat generated by the drag (a type of friction) created by Earth’s atmosphere, slowing it down.
“This first maneuver of the X-37B is an extremely important milestone for the U.S. Space Force as we seek to expand our capabilities in this challenging domain,” Air Force Leader The US space agency praised the X-37B team for testing this novel maneuver in a statement.
The X-37B’s most recent mission, known as OTV-7 (short for “Orbital Test Vehicle-7”), saw the spacecraft launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time first, sending the spacecraft into an elliptical (or oval) orbit at an unknown altitude.
Like all X-37B flights, little is known about OTV-7 other than that the flight was testing the effects of space radiation and “space domain awareness” technology. It can be understood as new technology to help the US Space Force monitor orbital traffic and what other spacecraft are doing in Earth orbit.
After the aerodynamic braking operation, the X-37B will continue its testing goals. The space plane will then leave orbit and land like the previous six missions.
The X-37B is an unmanned space aircraft owned by the US Air Force. The US Air Force has two X-37B aircraft in rotational use and has conducted six missions since 2010. The current flight of the X-37B is the seventh mission. The X-37B launches for the first time on a rocket United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V in 2010.