Space Force Makes Tricky Maneuver with Top-Secret Space Plane to Dispose of Debris

The Space Force's top-secret spacecraft is attempting a new maneuver where it will change its orbit around the Earth without burning fuel, marking a rare public-facing announcement of the highly classified vehicle's movements.

The unmanned X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle has been in space since late December, and it has been used for classified experiments and investigating radiation effects for NASA. The Space Force announced Thursday that the spacecraft is starting "a series of novel maneuvers, called aerobraking" -- essentially using the drag of Earth's atmosphere to change orbit and save fuel.

It's the first time the X-37B or the Space Force has ever attempted the move. In the 2014 science fiction film "Interstellar," a similar technique was used by actor Matthew McConaughey's character, Joseph Cooper, to land his spacecraft on a planet without wasting fuel.

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"This novel and efficient series of maneuvers demonstrates the Space Force's commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space," Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in a news release.

Space Force officials said in the news release that the service is doing the maneuver so the spacecraft's unnecessary components can be safely disposed of "in accordance with recognized standards for space debris mitigation," instead of releasing the contents at a higher orbit where it could become space junk for several years and create obstacles and hazards for satellites and other spacecraft.

Addressing the responsible way to dispose of space debris has become a major concern for countries and companies in space. Most recently, U.S. Space Command called out Russia after a decommissioned satellite broke up in orbit, creating more than 100 pieces of debris in June.

Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who focuses on space policy, told Military.com in an interview on Monday that it's notable the service is going out of its way to avoid creating more junk in orbit.

"I think it's important that they are setting a good example for commercial operators, for other countries, for other parts of government," Harrison said. "They're setting the right example that this is how a responsible space operator behaves. You don't leave junk if you can avoid it. Don't litter."

Harrison said that commercial space companies and NASA are accustomed to aerobraking maneuvers -- which can sometimes take several days or even weeks to complete -- but that this is a notable first for the Space Force, which took control of the top-secret X-37B spacecraft in 2020.

"I don't see this as the Space Force taking risk. I see it as maybe getting more comfortable with operating their vehicle and trying out all the things it could do," Harrison said.

It's rare for the Space Force to publicize happenings with the X-37B, especially as competition with adversaries such as China and Russia continues to grow. Harrison speculated that they announced it, in part, because the maneuver would be so visible to countries tracking objects in space.

"They can't hide it anyway; China and Russia can see this as plain as day," Harrison added. "Maybe they're just catching up to the fact that you can't keep these things secret."

The military tensions in outer space are running high. Last year, China deployed its highly secretive space plane for the third time right before the Space Force was preparing to launch the X-37B in December.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman raised the Space Force's latest mission with the X-37B, saying it marked significant progress for the service.

"This first of a kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone for the United States Space Force as we seek to expand our aptitude and ability to perform in this challenging domain," Saltzman said in the news release.

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