As long as adverse weather conditions hold off, the Air Force’s X-37B space drone is set to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after 22 months in orbit.
Not much is known about the mission of the X-37B which has created a lot of speculation among the public seeking to learn more about the aircraft.
In fact, the only thing we really know for sure is that the drone was built by Boeing in an effort to create a small, unmanned space shuttle.
Boeing says the point of the aircraft is to “explore reusable vehicle technologies in support of long-term space objectives,” including “space experimentation, risk reduction, and concept of operations development,” plus hopefully “making space access more routine, affordable, and responsive.”
The company’s explanation feels more like a roundabout of saying here is something for the media to print but at the end of the day we are the only ones who will ever know what the drone is trying to achieve in outer space.
It is worth noting that the Air Force is relocation X-37B operations to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center upon completion of the current mission.
