Unmanned space plane lands after secret two-year mission

Aug. 2, 2017
The Boeing-built Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) landed in Florida on 7 May after completing a nearly two-year-long secret mission. Return of the unmanned space plane didn't go unnoticed by anyone close to the Kennedy Space Center.

The Boeing-built Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) landed in Florida on 7 May after completing a nearly two-year-long secret mission. Return of the unmanned space plane didn't go unnoticed by anyone close to the Kennedy Space Center. The OTV created a sonic boom as it reentered Earth's atmosphere that woke up some nearby residents. After launching in May 2015, the unmanned, reusable craft was in orbit for 718 days during OTV-4, its fourth and longest mission to date. The mission brought the OTV's total number of days in orbit to 2,085 since its first mission launch in April 2010. Details of the OTV's mission are classified. Some speculate that the vehicle's capabilities might include military capabilities in addition to the mission's stated goals of "risk reduction, experimentation and concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies."

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