Hello, my name is Ben Lovegrove and in this video I’m going to try to answer several
questions relating to the Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.
Since this unmanned orbital spacecraft was first launched there have been innumerable
videos and articles speculating as to its purpose.
In this video I’ll summarise the information that is in the public domain and then I’ll
list some of the theories about the X-37B’s secret purposes.
So watch this video to the end and if you think I’ve missed any key points then please
add a comment below and I’ll look into it.
The X-37B is the second in a series of unmanned space vehicles known as Orbital Test Vehicles
(OTV) designed and built by Boeing.
They are launched and operated by United States Air Force (USAF) for the purpose of testing
reusable space technologies.
The X-37 is launched into low orbit using conventional rockets like the Atlas 7 or SpaceX
Falcon 9 and glides back to Earth as an unpowered space plane.
Low Earth orbit means that it flies lower than orbiting satellites and much lower than
geostationary satellites.
The project began under NASA as a civilian project but was later transferred to the US
Department of Defense.
It was originally designed to be a reusable space vehicle for the purposes of launching,
servicing, or retrieving satellites.
It can also carry equipment and instruments into space where they can be tested and returned
to Earth for analysis.
For these reasons it is a cost effective method of testing new technologies but we may not
be aware of these advantages until the technologies are used in other projects.
Since then very few of the of the X-37B's experiments and tests have been made public.
The resemblance to the Space Shuttle is no coincidence since its aerodynamic design was
based on the Shuttle.
There have been several orbital missions in the last few years.
The latest began on 7th September 2017 when the X-37B was launched into orbit using a
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
At the time of creating this video the X-37B is still orbiting the Earth and can be tracked
using popular astronomy apps like Sky Guide.
Yes, that’s right. Contrary to what some have said it’s not so secret that it can’t
be tracked by anyone using one of several free or inexpensive apps.
Each of the X-37B missions has been longer than the previous and all of them are controlled
by the US military.
The mission prior to the current one lasted 718 days when the X-37B touched down in Florida
in May 2017.
There are plenty more details (with all the appropriate citations) about the X-37 models
and the OTV missions in Wikipedia.
The page is Boeing_X-37.
What is the true purpose of the X-37?
Given the fact the the X-37 is financed and controlled by the USAF it is logical to assume
that its purpose is at least in part of a military nature.
We know from history that the military has worked on top secret projects and only released
information when it is deemed appropriate to do so.
Everyone, including those in high office, is treated on a ‘need to know’ basis.
When the time is right the news media is used to disseminate information but it also sometimes
employed to scatter disinformation.
That is, information that's partly or totally false (as opposed to misinformation which
is information that is unintentionally wrong).
The design, building, and development of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a good example.
This was a genuine black project that very few people knew about in the 1970s and early
1980s.
As a consequence test aircraft probably accounted for some of the UFO sightings in those years
since the aircraft were based at Groom Lake in Nevada (Area 51).
Even when it became operational the details of the F-117 remained a closely guarded secret.
So today, in the absence of any reliable information people have been left to guess as to what
exactly the X-37B is doing up there.
As the speculation regarding its true purpose begins the experts (self appointed or otherwise)
start talking and the rumour mill swings into action.
Ideas have included; a low orbit delivery mechanism for WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction),
reconnaissance (i.e. spying on other countries), and the testing secret space thrusters.
Other theories include a means to disable or destroy enemy satellites using lasers,
kinetic weapons, or more subtle means that nudge satellites into re-entry and destruction,
destroying any evidence of interference in the process.
Some have also claimed it’s there purely to confuse the Chinese who appear to have
developed a similar looking smaller space plane called Shenlong, though very little
information about it exists.
So far there has been no confirmation nor evidence to support any of these claims.
There is the possibility that it’s a combination of military and civilian research both of
which are kept secret not because these purposes are particularly sinister but simply because
they want to protect intellectual property as well as military secrets.
It is a paradox of our age that on the one hand we have the cooperation and mutual respect
that leads to success stories such as the International Space Station.
But on the other hand countries remain suspicious of each other, fearful of their motives, and
determined to prepare for wars that no one wants. One of most enduring legacies of the
Apollo missions is the impact on human consciousness of the view of the Earth from space.
Seeing our fragile blue planet from afar has shifted our race’s perspective.
There’s a growing sense that we should be a united planet on which wars between nations
are a thing of the past.
Perhaps then we could divert some of the military spending to finance further exploration of
space.
What of the future?
In 2011 Boeing announced plans for the X-37C which is planned to be 165-180% the size of
the X-37B.
The X-37C will be able to carry up to six astronauts into space within a pressurised
compartment in the cargo bay.
This announcement has lead to further speculation and it’s not hard to imagine that the X-37C
could be used to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station or some
other similar station.
Or these astronauts could carry out additional covert military research.
Whatever’s going on up there, keep watching and imagining.
It seems we’re just at the beginning and this story has a long way to go yet.
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