TL;DR: The U.S. Space Force has successfully completed the seventh mission of the X-37B, an unmanned spaceplane that spent over 434 days in orbit. While its exact purpose remains classified, speculation continues about whether it serves as a surveillance tool, a rapid-response military asset, or something entirely different. Mission seven launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy on December 28, 2023, taking off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spaceplane was put into a highly elliptical orbit, where it accomplished a "range of test and experimentation objectives."Late last year, the X-37B conducted a series of aerobraking maneuvers using the drag of Earth's atmosphere. This allowed the craft to change its orbit at a minimal fuel cost. The test additionally allowed the spaceplane to safely dispose of its service module components.At the time, the Space Force said the X-37B had also been conducting radiation effect experiments and was testing space domain awareness tech. The latter was said to be critical to helping the agency conduct operations in the increasingly congested and contested environment of space, which will ultimately benefit all parties involved.OTV-7 touched down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in the early hours of March 7, 2025.The X-37B measures roughly 29 feet long, nine-and-a-half feet tall, has a wingspan of nearly 15 feet, and looks like a miniature space shuttle. It is powered by gallium arsenide-based solar cells and lithium-ion batteries, and has demonstrated the ability to remain in orbit for hundreds of days at a time. OTV-6, for example, stayed in orbit for an impressive 908 days. // Related StoriesThe X-37B has captivated onlookers for years as the true nature of the craft's various experiments haven't been made public, and probably never will be. Is it a spy plane, a vehicle that could deliver deadly payloads to any part of the globe within minutes, or something else entirely?Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart, program director for the X-37B project, said its recent achievements have written an exciting new chapter for the spaceplane. "Considered together, they mark a significant milestone in the ongoing development of the US Space Force's dynamic mission capability," Stewart added.No word yet on what the Space Force has in store for OTV-8.