SpaceX FH : USSF-52 (X-37B OTV-7) : KSC LC-39A : 28/29 December 2023 01:07 UTC

[catdlr]

Not much in the news these days, but this WSJ clip popped up today.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/inside-boeing-s-x-37b-space-plane-conducting-secret-missions-for-the-u-s/vi-AA1mQEhc?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=869b165d5b4e49818491b5b7f7cbc0ec&ei=14

Nothing really exciting to see, most have already been from previous videos, the orbit explanation was interesting.  The best part was this single viewer comment:

"Sure hope they double-checked the door bolts."

[edkyle99]

Not much in the news these days, but this WSJ clip popped up today.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/inside-boeing-s-x-37b-space-plane-conducting-secret-missions-for-the-u-s/vi-AA1mQEhc?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=869b165d5b4e49818491b5b7f7cbc0ec&ei=14

I have wondered about the Molniya orbit possibility.  It would be hard for amateurs to track.

 - Ed Kyle

[alugobi]

Launch photo featured in today's Astronomy Picture of the Day:


https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240120.html

[GewoonLukas_]

Congrats to Tomi Simola for locating the secret X-37B spaceplane. OTV 7 is in a 323 x 38838 km x 59.1 deg orbit. Could be testing out a new HEO IR sensor for future early warning satellites - just a wild speculation on my part here.

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1755974823119872007

[XRZ.YZ]

But why near 60degree inclination?
Early warning satellites can work on 0 degree pretty fine.

[Bean Kenobi]

But why near 60degree inclination?
Early warning satellites can work on 0 degree pretty fine.

You're sepaking of SBIRS GEO, but SBIRS HEO (hosted on Trumpet satellites) were in a nearly 60 degrees orbit.

https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/trumpet-fo.htm
https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/trumpet-fo-2.htm

[daveglo]

Is this inclined enough to be considered a Molniya orbit, and therefore good for monitoring a particular patch of Earth? 

It certainly is an expansion of the envelope, since the Boeing original max altitude was only 500 miles (805 km), and previous flights were limited to 260 miles (418 km).

[catdlr]

https://twitter.com/tomppa77/status/1755977592933421259

Exciting news!

Orbital Test Vehicle 7 (OTV-7), which was launched to classified orbit last December, was seen by my SatCam!

Here are images from the last two nights!

[catdlr]

some additional info?

#OTV7 has apparently been found in HEO by
@tomppa77
.
OTV 7
1 58666U 23210A   24039.74420665 0.00000000  00000-0  00000-0 0    04
2 58666  59.1161   4.8483 7418435 167.3793 193.0310  2.07574710    01

https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1756025184945844513

[Targeteer]

https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2024/02/x-37b-otv-7-has-been-found-in-heo.html

[Targeteer]

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/02/us-militarys-elusive-spaceplane-apparently-found-by-sleuthing-enthusiast/

[Targeteer]

https://www.heavens-above.com/orbit.aspx?satid=58666&lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT

[edkyle99]

Apogee at 37 degrees south, says JCM.  Not a 12-hour Molniya orbit I believe, but long hours hovering above that parallel.  So what could be so interesting along 37 South?  The southern coast of Australia?  Parts of South America?  The Indian Ocean and South Pacific?  Or, maybe this bit from Wikipedia is relevant?

"This (37 South) parallel approximates that latitude at which solar irradiance equals the planetary average, with higher insolation equatorward and lower poleward."

 - Ed Kyle

[GewoonLukas_]

Apogee at 37 degrees south, says JCM.  Not a 12-hour Molniya orbit I believe, but long hours hovering above that parallel.  So what could be so interesting along 37 South?  The southern coast of Australia?  Parts of South America?  The Indian Ocean and South Pacific?  Or, maybe this bit from Wikipedia is relevant?

"This (37 South) parallel approximates that latitude at which solar irradiance equals the planetary average, with higher insolation equatorward and lower poleward."

 - Ed Kyle

Keep in mind that the oblateness of the Earth pulls the apogee south, so immediately after launch the apogee would have been closer to GEO.

[Newton_V]

Apogee at 37 degrees south, says JCM.  Not a 12-hour Molniya orbit I believe, but long hours hovering above that parallel.  So what could be so interesting along 37 South?  The southern coast of Australia?  Parts of South America?  The Indian Ocean and South Pacific?  Or, maybe this bit from Wikipedia is relevant?

"This (37 South) parallel approximates that latitude at which solar irradiance equals the planetary average, with higher insolation equatorward and lower poleward."

 - Ed Kyle

Depending on how the apsides rotate, eventually perigee will need to be near a latitude close to where it's landing (Florida).

[Targeteer]

https://skyriddles.wordpress.com/2024/02/12/the-hunt-for-otv-7/

Scott Tilley – Can you tell us more about how you and Mike McCants came to the conclusion that the object you observed was OTV7?

Tomi Simola – After I posted my first observations to Seesat-L on February 8, Mike McCants emailed me three hours later with orbital elements for “Unknown 020724”. He could not match it with anything in his catalogues. He reckoned “it was a small piece of space debris catching sunlight just right.”

I respectfully disagreed, explaining that visually the UNID was steady over the whole pass and “eyeball” magnitude similar to large USA 144 Deb (25746 / 99028C), which has passed a couple of times on a similar distance.

Next night I observed it again and very close to Mike’s earlier prediction. He told me that I’ve found the OTV-7!


Tomi Simola’s camera staring into space waiting for darkness to resume the search for OTV-7.

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1757311160351699398

[Targeteer]

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1757311167481942061

[Targeteer]

https://twitter.com/coastal8049/status/1757651785215283483