4 ms·
X-37B space plane completes its sixth mission, lands after nearly 30mo in orbit
- WheelsAtLarge 4y agoIs this plane being used as a pseudo-spy-satellite? I would think it would be a great replacement for them. I see a situation where after it's launched they bring it down every few years for upgrades and maintenance. I wonder if it's less expensive than the traditional ones.
- wmf 4y agoThere are rumors that it's taking photos of other satellites in orbit. I can't find the link, but it made a very close pass to the ISS and people speculate that it was imaging the ISS as a test.
- WheelsAtLarge 4y agoIt makes sense. I suspect(guess) it can change orbits. It would be a great tool to inspect other satellites at close range.
- 6stringmerc 4y agoIt definitely can.
- abudabi123 4y agoHyper scale the vehicle and fleet size. Make the aerodynamic design elements detach in orbit. Send the fleet to asteroid Psyche for mineral collection. Next step is in orbit construction by Tesla Optimus bot swarm. Hurry up before World War 3.
- BMc2020 4y agoWhenever I see an X-37B post, I like to remind people its real purpose is to keep one or more nukes on-orbit at all times. Do I have proof? No. Why not a satellite? Satellites run out of fuel, eventually break and need to be de-orbited before they do. It's against treaty to keep nukes in space. X-B37 has plausible deniability, and the nukes don't take up the whole cargo bay so you can still have room for experiments. Why? It's a great first strike weapon without a detectable missile launch. If terrorists are building a nuke you can drop it on them and make it look like they blew themselves up. Last ditch asteroid defense. Am I against it? Not really. But I do believe in an informed citizenry. YMMV.