This experimental vehicle has been quietly in space for a year. USAF has 2 of these unmanned re-launchable spacecraft, and this one is second one.
The craft launched aboard an Atlas 5 rocket. This week marked the one-year anniversary of the spacecraft orbiting the planet performing a still secret mission. So far, the USAF has only said that the craft is performing top-secret experiments. We have no indication of when the X-37B might return to earth.
X-37B number one spent 224 days orbiting the planet before landing on December 3, 2010 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Amateur astronomers have noted that the second X-37B is in an orbit that is very similar to US spy satellites. Some think the USAF may be using the spacecraft to keep certain countries under close scrutiny.
General Characteristics
Primary Mission: Experimental test vehicle
Prime Contractor: Boeing
Height: 9 feet, 6 inches (2.9 meters)
Length: 29 feet, 3 inches (8.9 meters)
Wingspan: 14 feet, 11 inches (4.5 meters)
Launch Weight: 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms)
Power: Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells with lithium-Ion batteries
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V (501)
The craft launched aboard an Atlas 5 rocket. This week marked the one-year anniversary of the spacecraft orbiting the planet performing a still secret mission. So far, the USAF has only said that the craft is performing top-secret experiments. We have no indication of when the X-37B might return to earth.
X-37B number one spent 224 days orbiting the planet before landing on December 3, 2010 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Amateur astronomers have noted that the second X-37B is in an orbit that is very similar to US spy satellites. Some think the USAF may be using the spacecraft to keep certain countries under close scrutiny.
General Characteristics
Primary Mission: Experimental test vehicle
Prime Contractor: Boeing
Height: 9 feet, 6 inches (2.9 meters)
Length: 29 feet, 3 inches (8.9 meters)
Wingspan: 14 feet, 11 inches (4.5 meters)
Launch Weight: 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms)
Power: Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells with lithium-Ion batteries
Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Atlas V (501)
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