【Watch Playboy Wet & Wild 4 (1992)】

From time to time,Watch Playboy Wet & Wild 4 (1992) the U.S. military shows glimpses of its X-37B spaceplane, which can travel to space for years at a time.

We just got another glimpse. The U.S. Space Force — which took the reins from the Air Force's expansive military operations in space in 2019 — has released a view the robotic craft took from Earth's orbit. You can see a portion of the X-37B and an outstretched panel above a view of a partially shadowed Earth.

"An X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in [highly elliptical orbit] in 2024," the Space Force posted on X. "The X-37B executed a series of first-of-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel."

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: A dramatic total lunar eclipse is coming. You don't want to miss it.

This is the seventh mission of the X-37B, which orbits 150 to 500 miles above Earth to explore reusable space vehicle technologies and conduct long-term space experiments. The plane was originally built by Boeing for NASA, but the project transferred to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, in 2004. At nearly 30 feet long, it's one-fourth the size of NASA's retired Space Shuttle.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

An image of Earth captured by the U.S. Space Force's X-37B spaceplane. Credit: U.S. Space Force

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The X-37B's "aerobraking" maneuver mentioned above involves using close passes by Earth's atmosphere to produce drag, ultimately allowing it to switch orbits without burning too much of its finite fuel.

"This novel and efficient series of maneuvers demonstrates the Space Force's commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space," former secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall explained in 2024.

---

Related Stories

---

• NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.
• Scientists discover a super-Earth. Something about it is strange.
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• NASA's Webb telescope threatened with budget cuts. They would hit hard.
• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know

But the spaceplane, which most recently launched in Dec. 2023, isn't coming back home just yet. The mission is "now continuing its test and experimentation objectives," the Space Force said. After that, the craft will plummet through our planet's atmosphere and land on a runway — an event the U.S. military has released images of in the past.

The military clearly wants to promote the X-37B's successes — without revealing too much about its outer space exploits.

(Editor: {typename type="name"/})