To assure a safe landing the module was automatically separated from the primary vehicle before de-orbiting to ensure a safe landing.
The solar-powered mission hosted the Naval Research Laboratory’s photovoltaic radiofrequency antenna module. This is a radical design to convert solar rays into microwave energy. And to “transmit power to the ground” from space.
Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing said, “Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies.”
The 908-day sixth mission was record-breaking. In its last mission, the solar spaceplane was orbiting for 780 days. In all the combined missions the X-37B has flown over 1.3 billion miles. And has spent a total of 3,774 days flying in space.
