Secret space plane, solar sailing spacecraft blast off today
New
Watch LIVE starting 10:45 a.m. ET
The Associated Press Posted: May 20, 2015 8:58 AM ET Last Updated: May 20, 2015 8:59 AM ET
Related Stories
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)
A mini military space plane is poised for liftoff Wednesday on another long orbital test flight. But as usual, the Air Force isn’t saying much about the unmanned mission.
The X-37B space plane will blast 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.
Today’s the day: #LightSail’s launch period opens at 7:45 a.m. PD /10:45 a.m. EDT. Watch live: http://t.co/DHAtEAZ9nR pic.twitter.com/JiaFecS3XH
— @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 United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is set to blast off at 11:05 a.m. ET. from Cape Canaveral, Fla. (United Launch Alliance/Associated Press)
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)
With files from CBC News
Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.
Submission Policy
Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.
