Page 5 - Spec Tech Vol 1 Issue 08
P. 5
US military's X-37B space plane lands,
ending record-breaking mystery mission
Image Credit: Boeing/US Space Force
The record-breaking sixth mission of the OTV-1: Launched on April 22, 2010 and
U.S. military's X-37B space plane is finally landed on Dec. 3, 2010 (duration 224 days).
over. OTV-2: March 5, 2011 to June 16, 2012
The robotic X-37B touched down at NASA's (468 days).
Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida OTV-3: Dec. 11, 2012 to Oct. 17, 2014 (674
(Nov. 12) at 5:22 a.m. EST (1022 GMT). days).
The winged vehicle had spent 908 days in
orbit — more than four months longer than OTV-4: May 20, 2015 to May 7, 2015 (718
any previous X-37B flight. The Boeing-built days).
space plane also carried a service module OTV-5: Sept. 7, 2017 to Oct. 27, 2019 (780
on the newly completed mission, a first for days).
the U.S. Space Force's X-37B program.
OTV-6: May 17, 2020 to Nov. 12, 2022 (908
"With the service module added, this was days).
the most we've ever carried to orbit on the Space Force and Boeing describe the X-
X-37B, and we're proud to have been able 37B as chiefly a testing platform; the vehicle
to prove out this new and flexible capability allows researchers to see how payloads
for the government and its industry part- work in the space environment and then
ners," Jim Chilton, senior vice president at examine them afterward on the ground.
Boeing Space and Launch, said in a
statement The X-37B resembles NASA's "Since the X-37B's first launch in 2010, it
now-retired space shuttle but is much small- has shattered records and provided our
er, measuring just 29 feet (8.8 meters) from nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly
nose to tail. The space shuttle was 122 feet test and integrate new space technologies,"
(37 m) long and was piloted — another key Chilton said.
difference, as the X-37B is autonomous. Many of these payloads are classified, as
The U.S. Space Force is thought to own two are most of the X-37B's activities; the Space
X-37B vehicles, both of which were provided Force doesn't announce details of the
by Boeing. To date, the duo has flown six vehicle's orbit, for example, or tell us in
orbital missions, each of which is known by advance when each OTV mission is going
the signifier OTV ("Orbital Test Vehicle"): to end.
Space Explorer 2022 5
