Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. According to a brief U.S. Space Force statement released alongside the photo, the image was taken while the X-37B was conducting experiments some time last year. It's unclear if those experiments were related to the aerobraking maneuvers, although the statement does reference them. "An X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in a highly elliptical orbit in 2024," the Space Force's statement reads. "As part of the X-37B's seventh mission, the vehicle executed a series of first-of-its-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel." Artist rendering of the U.S. Space Force's robotic X-37B conducting an aerobraking maneuver using the drag of Earth's atmosphere. (Image credit: Boeing Space) While the U.S. Space Force, and its previous operator the U.S. Air Force, have been tightlipped about what the space plane does on its lengthy missions, what is known is that the X-37B serves as a test platform for new space technologies. So far, it has hosted payloads to test solar power beaming from space, thermal protection systems and autonomous flight capabilities. According to the Space Force, the X-37B is the "most advanced re-entry spacecraft that performs risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies." RELATED STORIES: