The unmanned X-37B spacecraft, which launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida atop an Atlas V rocket back in March of 2011 made its return to Earth Saturday after 15 months in orbit.
It's the second X-37B to be sent into orbit, with the first one enjoying a shorter 7-month stay above our planet back in 2010. The Air Force has plans to launch that first one back into orbit later this fall for further testing.
Just what that testing is (or is a cover for) is anyone's guess however. While the official story is that the X-37B's are part of a military program testing out the plane itself, the craft was carrying a classified payload on board, which has led to all sorts of speculation as to what that payload may have been, and what the ultimate goal of the mission (which was deemed a "spectacular success" by Air Force General William Shelton back in April) was.
Unsurprisingly, the possibility that the craft was carrying equipment for the purposes of spying is a common theory, with possible targets being the Middle East, Afghanistan, and China's Space Station.
Another theory suggests the payload is nothing but smoke and mirrors, designed to baffle the Chinese government (and everyone else).
"I don't think this thing has a mission that would go beyond bewildering the Chinese," national security analyst John Pike, told The Guardian. "It is the sum of all fears. They don't know what it is and they have to hedge against everything it might be, even though I think it's nothing. It's part of a strategic deception program."
The usefulness of the craft insofar as its official purpose goes has even been called into question. Naval War College professor Joan Johnson Freese sees the craft as having potential to give the Air Force a quick view over conflict zones, faster than satellite imagery could provide.
"Having a vehicle with a broad range of capabilities that can get into space quickly is a very good thing," she said.
Yet Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell sees the deployment of such a craft, if it continues to rely on Atlas V rockets, which take sizable preparation time, as taking too long for such time-sensitive tasks.
"The requirement to go on Atlas V is a problem; they may need to look at a new launch vehicle that would be ready to go more quickly," he said.
Just what the craft was carrying, and what it's being tested for remains a mystery; one that may only deepen further as the next launch of the X-37B approaches.
