Wednesday, December 12, 2012

USAF relaunches its first X-37B on a slightly less mysterious spaceflight

USAF relaunches its first X-37B on a slightly less mysterious spaceflight:
USAF relaunches its first X37B on a new, slightly less mysterious spaceflight
The US Air Force's aims with each X-37B mission continue to be shrouded in secrecy, but we're learning a little more now that it has launched the autonomous space plane for a third time. In once more flying the OTV-1, the original vehicle that reached orbit in 2010, the military branch is clear that testing reusability is a major goal: it wants to know if these spacecraft can take more than one trip without suffering ill effects. We likewise know that navigation, re-entry and other basics will be under scrutiny, even if the military won't talk about the payload. Just when we'll see OTV-1 back on Earth is another matter. The USAF is still standing by its official line that the X-37B is built to stay spaceborne for nine months, but it's remaining open to longer missions if conditions permit. Given that OTV-2 took more than a year to return, we wouldn't be surprised if we're just becoming comfortable with 2014 by the time the vehicle's sibling touches down.
Continue reading USAF relaunches its first X-37B on a slightly less mysterious spaceflight
Filed under: ,
Comments
Source: The Register

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...