The U.S. Space Force has unveiled a photo of the secret X-37B aircraft in orbit for the first time. (Image)

For over 400 days, the secret spaceplane X-37B has been in orbit. Recently, the U.S. Space Forces released a photo of this unmanned aircraft in space, which also features our planet, as reported by Space.

Although this photograph does not reveal all the details of the U.S. secret space project, nor does it provide information about the technologies being tested in space, it offers a unique perspective of our planet. Earth is visible in the background of the photo, allowing us to gauge how far the X-37B is from our planet.

Currently, it is known that during its seventh mission in orbit, the reusable X-37B is testing flight in new modes and examining the effects of space radiation on materials supplied by NASA.

During the previous six missions, the X-37B was in low Earth orbit, but the new photograph indicates that it is now much farther from Earth. The Falcon Heavy rocket is known to be capable of delivering payloads to geosynchronous orbit at distances exceeding 35,000 km from Earth.

The U.S. Space Forces reported that the onboard camera used to capture the photograph is employed for monitoring the safety and functionality of the X-37B during its experiments on an elliptical orbit. It has also been revealed that the secret spaceplane has successfully performed a series of different maneuvers for the first time, although the specifics remain unknown. The Pentagon only mentioned the successful execution of aerodynamic braking, which allowed the aircraft to change its orbit with minimal fuel expenditure.

Experts believe that the X-37B serves as a testing platform for new space technologies. However, the Pentagon has not disclosed details about the new mission, similar to what occurred during previous missions of the X-37B.

The secret aircraft X-37B has been in space for over 400 days, and it remains uncertain when it will return to Earth. The previous, sixth mission concluded on December 12, 2022, after the X-37B spent 908 days in orbit.