Aviation Week reports, “As the Pentagon explores how to fight future wars in space, it is leaning on a mysterious platform that has logged a record-setting number of years quietly operating in space. The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle—a 29-ft.-long experimental spacecraft that can reenter the Earth’s atmosphere autonomously—has emerged as a critical tool for the U.S. Space Force’s future planning.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle
X-37B Spaceplane Lands Ending 434-Day Mission
Ars Technica reports, “The US military’s robotic mini-space shuttle dropped out of orbit and glided to a runway in California late Thursday, ending a 434-day mission that pioneered new ways of maneuvering in space. The X-37B spaceplane touched down on Runway 12 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 11:22 pm local time Thursday (2:22 am EST Friday), capping its high-flying mission with an automated reentry and landing on the nearly three-mile-long runway at the West Coast’s spaceport.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)