The U.S. military’s top-secret X-37B space plane has returned to Earth after spending 434 days in orbit. The unmanned spacecraft launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in December 2023 aboard a SpaceX rocket for a classified mission carrying military experiments.
Touching down at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California before dawn, the landing was only announced hours later. Images revealed the white-and-black spacecraft parked on the runway under the cover of darkness.
This marks the seventh flight of the Boeing-built reusable space plane, which has been in operation since 2010. According to Space Force officials, the mission successfully demonstrated orbital maneuvering using atmospheric drag to slow down and conserve fuel.
“This is an exciting new chapter in the X-37B program,” said program director Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart.
With a length of 29 feet (9 meters) and a wingspan of nearly 15 feet (4.5 meters), X-37B missions have lasted up to 908 days in space, advancing reusable spacecraft technology for military and scientific purposes.
Source: Swifteradio.com
