The U.S. Space Force’s X-37B space plane touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 7, 2025, at 2:22 a.m. local time, ending its seventh mission after 434 days in orbit.
Launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, the 29-foot-long craft tested new tech in a Highly Elliptical Orbit. The USSF praised its rapid launch and recovery, spotlighting the mission’s groundbreaking aerobraking maneuvers.
Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman called Mission 7 a milestone. “The X-37B flexibly hit its test goals across orbital regimes,” he said. Aerobraking using atmospheric drag to shift orbits with minimal fuel marked a first for the craft. After descending to Low Earth Orbit, it achieved its deorbit and landing. Last month, the USSF shared a rare in-orbit photo of X-37B over Africa, snapped by its onboard camera.
Run by the Space Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, the X-37B tests propulsion, thermal shields, and autonomous reentry. Starting under NASA in 1999, it’s now a DoD star, logging over 4,000 days across seven missions. Though details stay classified, it’s return signals success—and hints at more cosmic feats to come.
