The US released the first photo of the X-37B spacecraft taken from space.

The US Space Force on February 20 released the first photo taken from space by the X-37B spacecraft. The photo was taken after the spacecraft launched on its 7th mission in late 2023.

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

Photo taken by camera on X-37B spacecraft of Earth

PHOTO: US SPACE FORCE

Since its launch, the X-37B has tested many future technologies in space and for the first time tested orbital positioning with minimal fuel.

According to Business Insider , the X-37 project was initially assigned to Boeing for development 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 was classified as a military secret project.

X-37B spacecraft returns to Earth after 6th mission in November 2022

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

During its seven missions, the X-37B has performed a variety of tasks, including testing materials in space environments and launching small satellites.

Watch the US military's secret robot spacecraft X-37B 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 launched and the spacecraft spent a record 908 days in space.

Mission 7 is scheduled to launch in December 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Its goals include testing future space-based sensing technologies and analyzing the effects 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-armed 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