The X-37B space plane blasted off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 11:05 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The mystery test vehicle — essentially a technology test bed — is designed to orbit the Earth and then land like one of NASA’s old shuttles. It is operated robotically, without anyone on board, and is reusable. It is 8.8 meters (29 feet) long — about one-fourth the size of a NASA shuttle.
The longest X-37B flight lasted about 675 days;
A mini military space plane lifted off Wednesday on another long orbital test flight. But as usual, the Air Force isn’t saying much about the unmanned mission.
This will be the fourth flight of the X-37B space plane, a secretive, experimental program run by the Air Force. (AP file photo)
The X-37B space plane blasted off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 11:05 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
NASA has a materials experiment aboard, while the Planetary Society is tagging along with a solar-sail demo.
We are headed to space with #LightSail. Thank you to all the citizens who made this happen. #Onward! pic.twitter.com/PaLWeNlSu9
— @exploreplanets
This will be the fourth flight of the space plane, a secretive, experimental program run by the Air Force. The three previous missions also began with rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The X-37B space plane blasted off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at 11:05 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The mystery test vehicle — essentially a technology test bed — is designed to orbit the Earth and then land like one of NASA’s old shuttles. It is operated robotically, without anyone on board, and is reusable. It is 8.8 meters (29 feet) long — about one-fourth the size of a NASA shuttle.
The longest X-37B flight lasted about 675 days; touchdown was last October. There’s no official word on how long this one will stay up. All three previous missions ended in California.
Although largely mum about this X-37B flight, the Air Force has acknowledged a thruster experiment involving electric propulsion. Air Force researchers want to check design modifications to ion thrusters already flying on some advanced military communication satellites.
The Planetary Society, headed by Bill Nye, is launching its solar sailing spacecraft demonstration aboard the rocket today. (YouTube/Planetary Society)
