The Space Force’s uncrewed space plane is set for its next mission. The X-37B, the nine-meter-long spacecraft known for its lengthy trips in orbit, will blast off for its eighth mission on Aug. 21. As per usual with the secretive spacecraft, many of the mission details including its expected length are being kept under wraps, but the Space Force announced on Monday that it will be testing out new laser communications and a “quantum inertial sensor.”
The next mission, OTV-8, will see the spacecraft launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It’s a short turnaround from the seventh mission, which ended this spring. As with past flights, the Space Force and NASA will use it to test several new technologies and carry out orbital experiments, many of which have not yet been disclosed.
The Space Force did highlight a few tests in its mission announcement, chief among them the use of laser communications. Due to the wavelengths used in these kinds of transmissions, they’re seen as both more secure and capable of sending greater amounts of data than traditional radio comms.
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“OTV-8’s laser communications demonstration will mark an important step in the U.S. Space Force’s ability to leverage proliferated space networks as part of a diversified and redundant space architectures. In so doing, it will strengthen the resilience, reliability, adaptability and data transport speeds of our satellite communications architecture,” Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said in the announcement.
Additionally, the X-37B will also be testing a “quantum inertial sensor,” which is essentially a tool that will help it navigate and track its position in orbit unaided, using just the spacecraft’s own rotation and movement. Notably, the Space Force is carrying out this test in the context of potential electronic warfare risks. The sensing could be used in cases where enemy electromagnetic jammers disable U.S. satellites. Successful navigation using the sensor could improve resilience, according to Space Force Col. Ramsey Horn, head of Space Delta 9, a Space Force unit focused on orbital warfare.
Horn said that “quantum inertial sensing allows for robust navigation capabilities when GPS navigation is not possible.”
The U.S. military currently has two of the Boeing-manufactured space planes. Initially developed by the Air Force and later taken over by Space Force, the X-37B has flown increasingly longer missions in orbit, often lasting more than a year before coming back to terra firma. It maxed out at 908 days in space during its sixth mission, which ended in 2022. Its most recent flight, OTV-7, had a shorter duration with just 434 days in orbit. However, OTV-7 saw several milestones. It tested out new braking maneuvers, using atmospheric drag to adjust course and preserve fuel. The Space Force also released a photograph taken from the X-37B for the first time.The Space Force is currently working on expanding the U.S. military’s array of satellites in orbit. The service is also looking at ways to carry out “orbital warfare,” including looking to acquire space-based weapons, both kinetic and non-kinetic (meaning lasers). Although the X-37B is both uncrewed and currently — at least officially to the public — unarmed, official art made for the military branch has shown similar-looking space planes being used for offensive purposes.
