The US Air Forces mysterious Boeing X-37B has broken the record for the most time spent in orbit around Earth on a spacecraft. This is the fifth mission by the craft, however, more details about the spacecraft remain classified.
Originally launched in September of 2017, the X-37B is known as Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-5), and upon its fifth mission broke the record for the longest time spent orbiting the Earth at 719 days, and is still in orbit. The previous record held by OTV-4 spent 717 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes. It is still unknown how until the OTV-5 mission is complete or when the craft will leave orbit and land back on Earth.
As for the purpose of the mini space shuttle, the US Air Force says that the project’s goal is to demonstrate technology for unmanned crafts that are reliable and reusable. On board was an Advanced Structurally Embedded Thermal Spreader experiment (ASETS-II), which used to observe selective electronics and the performance of oscillating heat pipes.
The US Air Force currently owns two X-37B crafts at their disposal, and they are 8.8 meters long, 2.9 meters high and have a wingspan around 4.6 meters. The previous four OTV missions completed by the X-37B each showed improving results. In order the four missions completed 224, 468, 675 and 718 days in orbit, each significantly longer than its predecessor.
However, due to its classified nature, the program has caught the eye of many conspiracy theorists as to what exactly it is doing. Theories range from it deploying spy satellites, used to interfere with other satellites or spy on other countries.
If it were to be involved in some sort of espionage, it is doubtful any information would have been released at all. However, it still is plausible because by orbiting the Earth the craft has made itself viewable so some type of information would have come out eventually regardless.
