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Top-secret X-37B space plane will execute 'never-before-seen maneuvers' on its descent to Earth

Live Science
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The X-37B is a secret, remotely operated spacecraft designed by Boeing for unknown purposes in service of the U.S. Department of Defense .

It will engage in "aerobraking" — a series of controlled descents into Earth 's atmosphere, in which the craft purposefully uses aerodynamic drag to change its orbit without consuming too much fuel.

The space plane began its seventh mission in December 2023 after launching a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.