The US Space Force ’s automatic X-37B space plane ( a very sci - fi assembling of word ) has plant two Modern records . On July 7 , it broke its own late book for time spend in Earth reach by one mean solar day . On July 8 , it presumptively did the same matter again .

The X-37B , an uncrewed and reusable vehiclebilled by Boeingas “ one of the world ’s newest and most sophisticated re - entry spacecraft , ” is presently on its 6th mission , known as Orbital Test Vehicle-6 or OTV-6 . It launched on May 17 , 2020 , mean that as of July 7 , it has been in space for 781 twenty-four hours non - stop .

The late book of 780 days , was achieve in August 2019 – every one of the six flights has been a record - surf . The first , launched in 2010 , last 224 days in field before coming back to Earth and set ashore at Vandenberg Space Force Base , California ; the next flight of steps more than doubled that . The third mission lasted over 674 day ; the quaternary , launched in 2015 , spent 718 days in area .

The Boeing spacecraft boasts quite a few features that have marked a “ first employment ” in space , the fellowship notes , including automatize de - electron orbit and landing subroutine ; all - electro - mechanical motivate flight controls and pasture brake ; plus cutting - edge materials used in its construction .

It ’s about one - twenty-five percent the size of the Space Shuttle , and its design “ immix the good of aircraft and spacecraft into an low-cost scheme that is well-heeled to operate and maintain . ”

keep the X-37B ’s long history of secretiveness , OTV-6 is reportedly carrying several classified payload , Space.comreports . Not all of the on - board deliveries are mystical , though : one of the success stories of the OTV-6 delegation has been the US Naval Research Laboratory ’s Photovoltaic Radio - frequency Antenna Module , or PRAM – a projection aiming to harvest solar energy from space to apply on Earth .

“ The analysis to this point has shown that [ PRAM ] has performed as well in orbit and even in some casing exceeded our pre - launch laboratory testing , ” Chris DePuma , PRAM programme manager said ina argument last year .

Receiving the first data point packages from the X-37B “ confirmed all our difficult oeuvre had devote off , ” he said : “ PRAM was working in reach , and deliver valuable information to advance outer space solar and power glow enquiry . ”

Also hitching a ride on OTV-6 is the U.S. Air Force Academy - design FalconSat-8 orbiter – thefirst satellite built and designed by cadetsto go in space aboard the X-37B.

“ FalconSAT-8 is an educational platform for cadets , ” said Lt . Col . Dan Showalter , assistant aeronautics prof at the Academy . “ We do technology demonstrations for the Air Force . ”

That ’s not the only reason FalconSat-8 is up there : it also carries five experimental payloads , plus two NASA experiments inquire the upshot of radiation on plant seeds .

All this enigma around the spacecraft has led to somemore conspiratorially - minded commenterssuggesting that the X-37B may be a tool for covert ops – or even a artillery . However , experts have bespeak out a few holes in that idea : at   8.8 meters ( 29 feet ) in length and 2.9 meter ( 9.5 feet ) marvelous , with a wingspread slightly under 15 feet ( 4.6 m ) and a launching weight of 4,990 kilograms ( 11,000 pounds ) , the vehicle is both too pocket-size and too unwieldy to be an effective weapon system .

“ It can be tracked , so it ’s go to be hard for it to sneak up on anything , ” former Air Force orbital psychoanalyst Brian Weeden toldSpace.comback when OTV-6 first launch . “ And when it get along down itself , it ’s a very ungainly , slow - moving sailplane . ”