It's serving an important purpose.
Quantum of Orbit
Less than six months after concluding a year-plus mission in orbit, the Space Force's top-secret X-37B space plane is gearing up for its eighth mission in just over 15 years.
As the Orlando Sentinel reports, the enigmatic, Boeing-built spacecraft is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Pad 39A later this evening, carrying some intriguing-sounding scientific equipment with it into orbit.
The Space Force, in collaboration with the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office, is testing out the "highest performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space," according to a Boeing press release. "The revolutionary quantum inertial sensor will demonstrate precise positioning, navigation, and timing in a GPS-denied environment."
In other words, if GPS satellites were ever to be targeted by an adversary — a growing concern, according to the US military — or go down due to other hazards such as space junk, the US military is looking for backup ways to navigate the vastness of outer space.
"Whether navigating beyond Earth-based orbits in cis-lunar space or operating in GPS-denied environments, quantum inertial sensing allows for robust navigation capabilities where GPS navigation is not possible," said Space Delta 9 commander colonel Ramsey Hom in the press release.
Major Laser
Apart from the quantum sensor, the X-37B spacecraft will also be demonstrating "high-bandwidth inter-satellite laser communications technologies," which could "strengthen the resilience, reliability, adaptability, and data transport speeds of our satellite communications architectures," according to US Space Force chief of space operations Chance Saltzman.
While many aspects of its top-secret missions remain shrouded in mystery, Boeing's X-37B has become an integral part of the Pentagon's efforts to conduct high-tech experiments in space.
That's especially important as the International Space Station readies itself to be retired by the end of the decade, giving the US no permanent foothold in Earth's orbit to conduct science in the absence of a privately funded and developed alternative.
The X-37B also represents a point of pride for Boeing, whose astronaut-ferrying spacecraft Starliner has been mired in problems and remains a major headache for both the aerospace company and NASA.
More on the spaceplane: Mysterious Spacecraft Lands at Space Force Base
Share This Article