Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing’s Space Mission Systems unit, said the last X-37B mission broke new ground with autonomous spaceflight. In a statement, she predicted that ship maneuvers without human input will become more important because space is getting more congested.

During its secretive mission, the X-37B will test new laser communications gear and a "quantum" navigation sensor.

On Aug. 21, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the Boeing-built X-37B Space Force space plane to orbit on its eighth mission.