Details Of Mysterious X-37B Spacecraft’s Mission Experiments Revealed By Air Force Official

KEY POINTS

An Air Force official confirmed the details of the X-37B's mission experiments
The X-37B is expected to launch its sixth mission later this month
The space plane will carry two NASA experiments for its upcoming mission

For the first time, the U.S. Air Force revealed details regarding the latest mission of the mysterious X-37B space plane. The details were confirmed and explained by an official of the military branch during a recent webinar.

The Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), also known as the X-37B, was developed by Boeing for the U.S. Air Force. Although it has spaceflight capabilities, it can de-orbit and land on the ground like a traditional airplane.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that the Air Force was preparing for the sixth unmanned experimental mission of X-37B. The mission, dubbed as OTV-6, is expected to launch on May 16 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida via the Atlas V rocket, a launch vehicle developed by Boeing and defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

Based in its previous test flights, which lasted for more than 700 days in space, X-37B will most likely spend around two years in Earth’s orbit for the OTV-6 mission.

Ever since reports of the X-37B came out, the Air Force has been very secretive regarding its purpose and the objectives of its mission. The military branch only noted that the main objective of the X-37B aircraft was to explore the development of reusable technologies in space.

For the first time, however, an official from the military branch has confirmed the details of the experiments that the space plane will carry out in its upcoming mission.

The confirmation was made by Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barret during a recent webinar hosted by the Space Foundation. As Barret discussed the details of OTV-6, she appeared alongside General John William Raymond of the U.S. Space Force.

According to Barret, X-37B will carry three experiments for its upcoming mission. These include three experiments from NASA.

“One is a sample plate evaluating the reaction of select significant materials to conditions in space,” Barret explained during the webinar. “The second studies the effect of ambient space radiation on seeds. A third, designed by the Naval Research Laboratory, transforms solar power into radio frequency microwave energy, then studies transmitting that energy to Earth.”