The US classified spaceplane is likely spying on China according to Spaceflight Magazine’s editor Dr. David Baker.
The unpiloted space vehicle was launched by the US Airforce last March and has yet to return from that mission.
Pentagon officials have refused to discuss the mission, however amateur trackers have been able to note how its path around the globe is nearly identical to China’s spacelab named Tiangong-1. It has been widely speculated that it is eavesdropping on the lab.
However, Secure World Foundations Brian Weeden disagrees. He believes that the X-37B is more likely tracking events going on in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
“A typical spy satellite is in a polar orbit, which gives you access to the whole Earth. [Now], the X-37B is in a much lower inclination which means it can only see a very narrow band of latitudes, and the only thing that’s of real interest in that band is the Middle East and Afghanistan.
“Is it spying on Tiangong-1? I really don’t think so. I think the fact that their orbits intersect every now and again – that’s just a co-incidence. If the US really wanted to observe Tiangong, it has enough assets to do that without using X-37B.”
The X-37B which resembles a mini shuttle, and was built by Boeing, is a horizontal launch and vertical landing craft capable of landing much like the manned shuttle on a runway.
The Craft specs out at Height:9 feet, 6 inches Length: 29feet, 3 inches, with a Wingspan: 14 feet, 11 inches. It’s payload bay is 7 feet 4 inches roughly the size of a van. The USAF is very tight lipped about what goes into that payload bay.
It’s current mission it was boosted 186miles into low orbit a top an Atlas rocket. It’s orbit is not the typical polar orbit that most US Military Mission’s take this one being at 42.79 degrees with respect to the equator.