A secretive space drone just broke its own orbit record, and almost no one knows what it’s doing

[Elderberry]

Washington Post By Alex Horton 8/27/2019

The X-37B — the Air Force’s ultra-secretive, astronaut-free spacecraft that looks like a miniaturized space shuttle — just broke its own flight record of 719 days in continuous orbit.

What, exactly, the experimental spacecraft has been doing for almost two years straight has puzzled analysts who can only speculate about the Pentagon’s ambitions over the low-orbit vehicle.

The Air Force has said, “The primary objectives of the X-37B are twofold: reusable spacecraft technologies for America’s future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to, and examined, on Earth.”

Pretty clear, right?

In September 2017, defense officials said the X-37B’s mission — its fifth since 2010 — would demonstrate the potential for getting to space quickly and “on-orbit testing of emerging space technologies” while testing experimental electronics in zero gravity.

Its playground is an important one, and may provide clues to the spacecraft’s true mission and what payload it may carry. Low Earth orbit is where the International Space Station circumnavigates the planet, and where many military and commercial satellites are situated.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/27/secretive-space-drone-just-broke-its-own-orbit-record-almost-no-one-knows-what-its-doing/