Earth photo sent back from secret Space Force space plane

• The Space Force’s X-37B space plane, launched in December 2023, remains in orbit conducting experiments and maneuvers.
• The X-37B, designed to operate between 150-500 miles above Earth, recently performed a series of fuel-efficient maneuvers called “aerobraking” to adjust its orbit.
• While details of the mission are classified, the Space Force released a photo taken by the X-37B’s onboard monitoring cameras.

Friday afternoon, a photo of the Earth was posted to social media — taken from a space plane shrouded in mystery.

The plane is known as the X-37B, and it launched atop a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center on Dec. 28, 2023. The uncrewed Boeing vehicle remains in orbit, according to the Space Force, preforming various maneuvers and experiments.

But little else about the plane’s activities have been revealed so Friday’s release of the photo by the Space Force caused a stir. The photo shows Earth, and the Space Force said it was taken sometime last year from an onboard camera. The onboard cameras, according to the Space Force, are used to monitor the status of the space plane.

This flight is the plane’s seventh mission. It first flew in April of 2010. Across these various missions, this mysterious orbiting plane has racked up more than 4000 days in orbit. FLORIDA TODAY previously reported the last flight of the X-37B lasted 908 days.

A bit of information on the vehicle’s activities was also given on Friday. “The X-37B executed a series of first-of-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel,” the post read.

According to Boeing, the space plane orbits between 150-500 miles above the Earth.

“We are excited to expand the envelope of the reusable X-37B’s capabilities, using the flight-proven service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to fly multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners,” Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, X-37B program director, said in a 2023 pre-launch press release.

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According to Boeing, the X-37B has a body and landing operation similar to the Space Shuttle, however it is smaller, measuring in at just one-fourth the size of the shuttle. “The X-37B design combines the best of aircraft and spacecraft into an affordable system that is easy to operate and maintain,” the description read.

Being a top secret Air Force/Space Force mission, there are limited details on the space plane or its objectives.

A landing date or location is unknown.

Be sure to follow the FLORIDA TODAY Space Team at FloridaToday.com/Space for the latest from the Space Coast.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.