“It will become crowded in space”: how the US is developing the X-37B unmanned reconnaissance aircraft program

US Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett announced that the next flight of an unmanned X-37B aerospace aircraft should take place on May 16.

“During this important mission, more experiments will be conducted than during any previous X-37B flight, including two NASA experiments,” the Pentagon press service quoted her as saying.

This is a study of the effect of radiation and other factors of space flight on various materials and seeds, the department said. In addition, it is reported that the US Navy research laboratory will conduct its experiment on converting solar energy into radio frequency microwave energy, and will also study the process of its transfer to Earth. As the Pentagon specified, the launch of the X-37B will take place from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

According to Barrett, to complete the mission, the US Air Force Accelerated Development Agency joined forces with the US Air Force Research Laboratory and US Space Forces to maximize the “unique capabilities” of the aircraft.

Recrimination

As the US Space Forces General John Raymond noted, the state now needs space forces, as the strategic situation has changed and potential opponents see space as a field for warfare.

“We saw how Russia conducted its satellite with weapons characteristics near the American satellite,” the general noted.

Recall that Moscow in February gave an official response to these allegations. Then, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the movement of the Cosmos-2542 satellite did not carry a threat “to the American space object” and did not violate international law.

• Orbital aircraft X-37B
• Reuters
• © US Air Force

The Pentagon also reiterated Russia's testing of "direct-launch anti-satellite weapons." As Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov previously noted, such statements by the United States are pretexts to ignore the proposals of the Russian side to create a legal framework to prevent an arms race in outer space.

However, Washington continues to adhere to the previous course.

“It’s important for us to restrain aggressive actions against American targets,” Barrett said. “But in case the containment of the results fails, we must be prepared to defend ourselves and, if necessary, strike back.”

“The first step of global plans”

The unmanned aerial spacecraft X-37 is the brainchild of Boeing Corporation. Its length is 8.8 m, wingspan - 4.6 m, weight - about 5 tons.

The US Department of Defense reports that the X-37B "is being launched into orbit by a rocket and is planning toward Earth, like a shuttle."

This is the sixth test of a space drone as part of the OTV (Orbital Test Vehicle) mission, which the US Air Force has been conducting since 2010. According to the Pentagon, the duration of the X-37B flights ranged from 225 to 780 days, in total, he spent 2865 days in orbit. During the missions, experiments were conducted in the interests of the US Air Force, the details of which, however, remain classified. The previous drone flight ended in October last year: then several satellites of unknown purpose were launched into orbit.

Describing the objectives of the test and the purpose of the X-37B, the United States Air Force is limited to general statements.

“The X-37B program has two main tasks: the creation of reusable space technologies to provide America with a future in space and the conduct of space experiments, the results of which can be returned and investigated on Earth,” says the official website of the US Air Force.

The technologies tested under this program include “advanced guidance, navigation and control systems, thermal protection systems, avionics, high-temperature structures and seals, conformal reusable insulation, lightweight electromechanical control systems for the aircraft, advanced propulsion systems, advanced materials, and also autonomous orbital flight, entry into the atmosphere and landing. ”

However, experts believe that Washington can use the X-37B not only for the declared experiments, but also for the militarization of space. So, military expert Alexei Leonkov emphasizes that the Pentagon has declassified only a small part of information about missions involving X-37B.

“The X-37B is a demonstration aircraft and a space technology practitioner. It is possible that they are launching it now, in order to coordinate the transmission of information from satellites, including military ones, through equipment on board. The United States needs all this to expand the communication of its objects in space, ”the analyst suggested in a conversation with RT.

• Orbital aircraft X-37B
• Reuters
• © US Air Force

A similar point of view is held by the corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences, political scientist Sergey Sudakov. In his opinion, such coordination between military satellites can be further used to destroy satellite groups of other countries.

“By doing so, the opponents would weaken — they would lose touch, they could not navigate the terrain,” the expert explained in an interview with RT.

Alexei Leonkov, in turn, noted that the next launch of the X-37B spacecraft is "part of a long-developed US program on the militarization of space."

“This is only the first step in the global plans of the United States,” the analyst said.

“Hazardous”

According to the Pentagon, the Space Forces budget request for fiscal year 2021 is about $ 15.4 billion. This money will be used to finance the new generation OPIR satellite program (“Sustainable Infrared Space Intelligence System”), launch of two GPS satellites and “three additional launches in as part of a space launch program for national security. ”

Recall that last December at the ceremony of signing the defense budget, Donald Trump officially announced the creation of space forces.

The corresponding memorandum was signed even earlier - in February. The document stated that the United States should "confront impending threats from foreign adversaries in space" in order to maintain its "leadership and get ahead of competitors."

It was also noted that the Pentagon will have to develop a legal justification for the creation of the sixth kind of troops - the space, which at first will be part of the US Air Force.

Then Trump said that his administration considers space as a theater of operations. According to the American leader, the creation of the Space Forces is one of the priorities of national security.

“The Pentagon has special directives and documents that speak of military operations in space. Russia does not have such documents. The Russian Federation, unlike the United States, does not consider space as a theater of operations and does not intend to deploy weapons there. Its activity in outer space does not threaten any country and does not violate international law. However, the American side misinterprets Russia's successes in space, viewing them as a threat, ”says Alexei Leonkov.

He pointed out that Washington accuses Moscow of "aggressive plans in space", while the United States has the largest group of military satellites in the world.

• Reuters

According to Sergei Sudakov, to "cover up the aggressiveness of its plans to militarize outer space," the US regularly uses "references to mythical threats from Russia."

“The image of the“ terrible Russians ”Washington worked so well that there was no longer any need to come up with new threats. Everything works so well, it allows the American side to increase military budgets and send billions of dollars to militarize outer space, ”the analyst explained.

At the same time, the US strategy for space exploration and its militarization may well lead to negative consequences on a global scale, believes Alexei Leonkov.

“The United States is putting more and more satellites into orbit, including the military. All this is fraught with danger for other spacecraft that are in orbit. That is, it will become crowded in space. And the Americans will begin to overload this system, which could undermine world security, ”the expert noted.

In addition, Sergei Sudakov did not rule out that during the militarization of outer space, the United States could deploy nuclear weapons there.

“This poses a tremendous danger to the whole world, since no one can predict all possible scenarios for the development of such a situation. Not to mention the fact that it will be practically impossible to extract such weapons from space, ”the analyst concluded.