The U.S. Space Force is taking its X-37B spaceplane for a high-tech dump run that it’s billing as “groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space.”
In a rare news release about the hyper-secret mission of the X-37B, the Space Force said it will employ aerobraking to rapidly change orbits using the drag of the atmosphere and only a little fuel. The spaceplane needs to get closer to Earth to jettison equipment it no longer needs. If it dumped the space junk at higher orbits, it would remain there for years, but dropping closer to the planet assures speedy and fiery reentry.
