The US Army conducts a 434-day secret mission in space

Last Friday, a classified mini space shuttle by the US army made its grand return to Earth, after executing secret manoeuvres around the globe for 434 days (and without a pilot).

It was in December 2023, from the NASA Kennedy Space Center, that the mini shuttle was sent into orbit as part of a top-secret mission, reports Noovo info. The X-37B vehicle, launched by SpaceX (owned by Musk), carried no one on board; solely military experiments motivated the journey. It was only a few hours after its landing at the Vandenberg Space Base, in California, that the return of the X-37B was publicly announced.

As highlighted by Science and Life, this is the seventh flight of one of these test vehicles in space. According to the leaders of the United States Space Force, the mission was conducted successfully, demonstrating the shuttle's ability to change orbit by using atmospheric drag to slow down, thus ensuring fuel savings.

Lieutenant Colonel Blaine Stewart, programme director, is delighted with the results of the mission, which he describes as “an exciting new chapter of the X-37B programme”. The reusable space shuttles (or planes) manufactured by Boeing were launched for the very first time in 2010, each spending nearly 900 days in space. These crafts have a wingspan of approximately 4.5 metres and measure 9 metres in length.

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source: Science and Life/Noovo info - Illustration: ©Unsplash)