SpaceX Wins Launch of U.S. Air Force X-37B Space Plane, Reuters “Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp will fly its first mission for the U.S. Air Force in August when it launches the military’s X-37B miniature spaceplane, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said on Tuesday. Four previous X-37B missions were launched by United LaunchAlliance Atlas 5 rockets. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co . […]
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-4 Lands, USAF (with video) “The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4 (OTV-4), the Air Force’s unmanned, reusable space plane, landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility May 7, 2017. “Today marks an incredibly exciting day for the 45th Space Wing as we continue to break barriers,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, the 45th SW commander. “Our team has been preparing for this event for […]
NASA FISO Presentation: An ISS Space Ambulance Based on X-37B Technology Now available is the October 19, 2016 NASA Future In-Space Operations (FISO) telecon material. The speakers was Steve Robinson (UC Santa Cruz) who discussed “An ISS Space Ambulance Based on X-37B Technology.” Note: The audio file and presentation are online and available to download. Marc’s note: An interesting concept. Is there a future commercial application for this concept should […]
NASA Partners with X-37B Program for Use of Former Space Shuttle Hangars “NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B Program for use of the center’s Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) Bays 1 and 2 to process the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle for launch.”
Boeing X-37B Completes 469 Day Orbital Mission (With Video) “Boeing today announced the successful de-orbit and landing of the second X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) for the U.S. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. The X-37B landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:48 a.m. Pacific time today, concluding a 469-day experimental test mission. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on March 5, 2011.”
Bloopers in Space, Jim Oberg, IEEE Spectrum “A horrendous error appears to have been made by a well-respected British spaceflight society, which reportedly is about to publish an article claiming that the X-37B, the secret Pentagon space plane, is shadowing the recently launched Chinese prototype space station, Tiangong-1, to spy on it in flight. But that’s ridiculous. The American plane’s orbit is at a steep angle with respect to that […]
Home again: U.S. military space plane returns to Earth, Spaceflight Now “Flying back to Earth after nearly 225 days in space, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane blazed through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean Friday and swooped into a California air base under the cloak of darkness. Capping a secret mission in space, the unmanned spaceship touched down at 0916 GMT (4:16 a.m. EST; 1:16 a.m. PST) on […]
Experimental X-37B Robot Space Plane to Launch Thursday, Space.com “The United States Air Force plans to launch its first robotic X-37B space plane Thursday on a mission that is a forerunner of things to come. A second mini-space plane is already under contract and is projected to be launched next year. New details regarding the mini-space plane and its upcoming Thursday liftoff atop an Atlas 5 booster were discussed today […]
