The US has released its first space-based photograph of the X-37B spacecraft.

On February 20, the U.S. Space Force released the first image taken from space by the X-37B spacecraft. The photo was taken after the spacecraft launched on its seventh mission in late 2023.

According to Business Insider , during testing in elliptical orbit, the X-37B captured images of Earth from above Africa.

Mỹ công bố ảnh phi thuyền X - 37 b chụp từ không gian lần đầu tiên - Ảnh 1. — This image of Earth was taken by a camera on the X-37B spacecraft.

Since its launch, the X-37B has tested many futuristic technologies in the space domain and, for the first time, experimented with adjusting its position in orbit with minimal fuel.

According to Business Insider , the X-37 project was initially assigned to Boeing by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) but was later handed over to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2004 and classified as a military secret project.

Mỹ công bố ảnh phi thuyền X - 37 b chụp từ không gian lần đầu tiên - Ảnh 2. — The X-37B spacecraft returned to Earth after its sixth mission in November 2022.

In 2006, the US Air Force announced the development of the X-37B spacecraft, designed to operate in orbit at speeds of nearly 28,163 km/h for 270 days. The X-37B is launched by a rocket and operates autonomously in space for extended periods before returning to Earth and landing like an aircraft.

During its seven missions, the X-37B performed various tasks such as testing materials in the space environment and launching small satellites.

Watch the US military's secret X-37B robotic spacecraft fly into space.

The first X-37B was launched into orbit in April 2010 and operated for 225 days before returning to Earth. In 2020, the sixth X-37B mission was deployed, and the spacecraft spent a record 908 days in space.

Mission 7 was launched in December 2023 using SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. The mission's goals included testing future space-based cognitive technologies and analyzing the impact of radiation on seeds during space travel, among other tasks.

There has been much speculation about the purpose of this top-secret spacecraft project, with some suggesting that the X-37B could be a space-weapon spacecraft or a space-based intelligence and reconnaissance tool.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-lan-dau-cong-bo-buc-anh-phi-thuyen-x-37b-chup-tu-khong-gian-185250222094917332.htm