US Air Force's X-37B 'Secret Space Plane' Has Spent Five Months In Orbit (But No One Knows Why)
A top-secret robotic space plane owned by the US military and with an unidentified payload and mission has now been in orbit above Earth for five months.
The unmanned Boeing-built X-37B is about 30 feet long, 15 feet wide, weighs 11,000 pounds and can carry about the same load as a delivery van - though what this is a mystery.
The craft, known as Orbital Test Vehicle-3 (OTV-3), took off from Cape Canaveral on 11 December using an Atlas V rocket.
It's not the first time the X-37B has been into space - the same one spent 225 mysterious days in space in 2010 before landing automatically in California.
Whatever its mission, having a US military craft in the skies above us all is a slightly unnerving thought.
Source: The Huffington Post UK News - 29 May 2013
Photo: The US Air Force's X-37B Secret Space Plane (Photo by files)
(29.05.2013)
|
|
| |
• Science SEOSAT-Ingenio's lost promise for Earth observation
(28.11.2020)
Spain's satellite, the SEOSAT-Ingenio, was billed as the latest in high resolution land imaging technology. Originally, we presented what it would have done. But its launch vehicle...>>
• No Air dominance without Space dominance
(29.10.2020)
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) will create a network of manned and unmanned platforms in the sky from fighter to drones, up to satellites. Connected to ground and maritime for...>>
• US Army Wants Electronic Jammer Weapon With Missile Defense Capabilities
(30.09.2020)
US Army officials unveiled plans on Tuesday for a vehicle-mounted electronic jamming system that will uniquely have the ability to jam incoming projectiles, fouling their targeting...>>
• Successful launch for Airbus’ Bartolomeo
(9.03.2020)
The Airbus built Bartolomeo platform has been successfully launched on 06 March from Cape Canaveral, Florida, US. Bartolomeo is now on its journey to the International Space Statio...>>
• Flight experiments for the air transport system of the future - New DLR ISTAR research aircraft arrives in Braunschweig
(20.02.2020)
Handover in the hangar of DLR’s Flight Experiments facility in Braunschweig together with representatives from science, industry, government and the media. Commissioning with first...>>
• NASA places order for three Airbus H135 helicopters
(29.01.2020)
The U.S. agency will use the aircraft for security during rocket launches, emergency medical services and qualified personnel transport....>>
• Russia Wants Answers From NASA About ALCOHOL SMELL on ISS After Dragon Docking
(1.09.2019)
Last month, outside observers marked concerns with SpaceX's Dragon 2 programme after one of the crew capsules unexpectedly exploded during a static fire test....>>
|
|
|
4/5 Generation Fighters 
