A secret US aircraft travels to space to test innovative navigation systems without GPS and laser communications
The U.S. Space Force's secretive X-37B spaceplane launched on a new mission on Friday, August 22, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, to perform a variety of missions, some of which will be carried out in complete secrecy.
The 29-foot-long X-37B, resembling a miniature version of NASA's Space Shuttle, is used as a testbed for sensors and other technologies the military wants to test in Earth orbit. On this mission, known as OTV-8, the U.S. Space Force stated in a statement that the aircraft will carry payloads that are actually "advanced technologies including laser communications and the highest-performance quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space."
Accordingly, the OTV-8 mission will contribute to "enhancing the flexibility, efficiency, and security of U.S. space communications infrastructure through laser communications demonstrations with commercial low-orbit satellite networks."
“The OTV-8 laser communications demonstration will represent a significant step in the U.S. Space Force’s ability to leverage the proliferation of space networks as part of diverse and versatile space architectures,” Chief of Space Operations Chance Saltzman said in the statement. “In doing so, it will enhance the flexibility, reliability, scalability, and data throughput of our satellite communications architecture.”
In addition to laser communications and transmission networks, this mission will also demonstrate the highest performance of a quantum inertial sensor ever used in space. This demonstration will facilitate precise space navigation without relying on satellite networks such as traditional GPS, improving the navigation flexibility of US spacecraft.
“The demonstration of the OTV 8 quantum inertial sensor represents a positive advance in the flexibility of operations in space,” said Colonel Ramsey Horn, Delta 9 spacecraft commander. “Whether navigating beyond Earth orbit in cislunar space or operating in GPS-deprived environments, quantum inertial sensing enables robust navigation capabilities when GPS is not possible.”
The X-37B is a dynamic and responsive spacecraft responsible for conducting a range of tests and experiments that accelerate the development of critical next-generation technologies and operational concepts for reusable space capabilities.
In terms of its specifications, it is reusable, carries a payload of up to 227 kilograms, has a maximum takeoff weight of five tons, and is 8.8 meters long, 4.5 meters wide, and 2.9 meters high. In addition, its previous missions have contributed to testing photovoltaic and energy transfer technologies, and studied the effects of space exposure on organic materials.
On the other hand, it is important to note that this aircraft carried out its first orbital mission in 2010, and its most recent previous flight was in December 2023, taking into account that it landed in March of this year.