I have done a lot of digging on this craft over the years and despite having friends and family in some relatively high places, I'm a a loss to determine its purpose.
Given that we even know about the craft's existence, I'm inclined to believe that there's nothing extremely clandestine being done with it (relatively speaking).
However, there's one interesting element about the X37b that does imply that they definitely attempt to keep its activities secret to a degree. The X37B orbits in an almost perfectly circular orbit (most of the time, sometimes it's elliptical/eccentric), but the edge of that orbit bumps up against the earth's atmosphere with the opposite end of the orbit being a long distance from earth. On the perigee of the orbit it's into the Earth's atmosphere enough that it can maneuver and alter its orbit.
This makes civilian tracking much more difficult. Supposedly this also makes tracking more difficult for our enemies, but I'm highly skeptical of those statements as there's zero stealth capabilities associated with this craft (that I'm aware of). The craft is not large but with no stealth capabilities, it's simply a matter of reacquiring the craft after it alters its orbit at the perigee. Tough for a civilian but I can't imagine so for a State funded military.
The X37B has always had the feel of a "Hey look at this secret thing we're launching" type of situation. The question then is what they're trying to get us to look away from.
Is that a Space Force logo on the side?
Looks like it to me. USSF
It sure is; USSF.
Yep!
I have done a lot of digging on this craft over the years and despite having friends and family in some relatively high places, I'm a a loss to determine its purpose.
Given that we even know about the craft's existence, I'm inclined to believe that there's nothing extremely clandestine being done with it (relatively speaking).
However, there's one interesting element about the X37b that does imply that they definitely attempt to keep its activities secret to a degree. The X37B orbits in an almost perfectly circular orbit (most of the time, sometimes it's elliptical/eccentric), but the edge of that orbit bumps up against the earth's atmosphere with the opposite end of the orbit being a long distance from earth. On the perigee of the orbit it's into the Earth's atmosphere enough that it can maneuver and alter its orbit.
This makes civilian tracking much more difficult. Supposedly this also makes tracking more difficult for our enemies, but I'm highly skeptical of those statements as there's zero stealth capabilities associated with this craft (that I'm aware of). The craft is not large but with no stealth capabilities, it's simply a matter of reacquiring the craft after it alters its orbit at the perigee. Tough for a civilian but I can't imagine so for a State funded military.
The X37B has always had the feel of a "Hey look at this secret thing we're launching" type of situation. The question then is what they're trying to get us to look away from.
https://archive.is/2023.12.29-130010/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/28/world/spacex-x37b-space-plane-military-scn/index.html
It tried to capture the Black Knight satellite if this logo is right, I wonder if it did or not?
https://drive.filen.io/d/c4bf1ee2-13e5-4513-a020-57ebf4b7a24b#pqZGjBmM02WlLoJRhNadDibklOXsAHsG
https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/13/23456718/space-force-x-37b-spaceplane-returns-two-years-falconsat-8 It's the same "rocket" that stayed in orbit for a record 908 days and landed just days after the 2022 midterm elections. Coincidence ?🤔