This photo provided by United States Space Force the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the U.S. Space Force’s dynamic unmanned spaceplane, successfully deorbited and landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., on March 7, 2025. (United States Space Force via AP)
This image provided by United States Space Force on Feb. 21, 2025, shows an X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in HEO in 2024. (United States Space Force via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. military's classified mini space shuttle returned to Earth on Friday after circling the world for 434 days.
The blasted into orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in December 2023 on a secret mission. Launched by SpaceX, carried no people, just military experiments.
Its predawn touchdown at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California was not announced until hours after the fact. Photos showed the white-and-black space plane parked on the runway in darkness.
It’s the seventh flight of one of these test vehicles. Space Force officials said the mission successfully demonstrated the ability to change orbits by using atmospheric drag to slow down, saving fuel.
It's "an exciting new chapter in the X-37B program," program director Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart said in a statement.
First launched in 2010, the Boeing-made, reusable space planes have spent as long as 908 days in space at a time. They're 29 feet (9 meters) long with a wingspan of almost 15 feet (4.5 meters).
___
The Associated Press Health and ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû. All rights reserved.
Canada is entering a new era of nation-building. From clean-energy corridors and c…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
