US Air Force's secretive X-37B unmanned spaceplane has completed its record-breaking flight after 780 days in orbit. Originally launched on September 07, 2017, the space plane successfully landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"Today marks an incredibly exciting day for the 45th Space Wing. Our team has been preparing for this event, and I am extremely proud to see their hard work and dedication culminate in today's safe and successful landing of the X-37B," said Doug Schiess, a US Air Force commander.
Even though this space plane, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) mission began long back in 2010, the exact aim of this project is still unknown to the general public. In a recent statement issued by the US Air Force, it has been revealed that "X-37B continues to demonstrate the importance of a reusable spaceplane."
"The safe return of this spacecraft, after breaking its own endurance record, is the result of the innovative partnership between government and industry. The sky is no longer the limit for the Air Force and, if Congress approves, the U.S. Space Force," said Gen. David L. Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff.
However, skeptics argue that this secret mission carried out by the United States Air Force is against International treaties and laws put forward by the United Nations. In 2012, several conspiracy theorists claimed that the X-37B has been deployed to the orbit to spy on China's Tiangong-1 space station.
Some other conspiracy theorists argue that this secretive space plane has some mysterious alien connections, but they do not have any solid proofs to substantiate these claims. A few months back, Ralf Vanderburgh, a Dutch astronomer had captured the image of this US secret spaceplane. After capturing the images of the spaceplane on June 30 and July 02, the astronomer claimed that this flying vessel is basically the miniature version of NASA's space shuttle.
