3 days ago · The X-37B is a reusable robotic space plane operated by the US Space Force. It resembles a miniature space shuttle at just under 9 metres long with a 4.5 metre wingspan and is an uncrewed vehicle designed for long-duration missions in low Earth orbit. The craft launches vertically atop a rocket ...

A spaceplane is a vehicle that can fly and glide as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and function as a spacecraft in outer space. [1] To do so, spaceplanes must incorporate features of both aircraft and spacecraft.

5 days ago · The U.S. military's top-secret X-37B space plane has returned from a mysterious 434-day mission in orbit. The enigmatic mission 'broke new ground' for reusable space technology, according to the U ...

The Boeing X-37, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is a reusable robotic spacecraft. It is boosted into space by a launch vehicle, re-enters Earth's atmosphere, and lands as a spaceplane.

Mar 8, 2025 · The uncrewed space plane took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 28 2023. Although Space Force often announces the missions and launch dates in advance, once the X-37B makes it ...

Mar 7, 2025 · Technicians in bulky protective suits approach the U.S. Space Force X-37B space plane after its landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to end a secret 434 day mission on March...

2 days ago · The Boeing-built X-37B is an uncrewed, autonomous spaceplane designed for advanced experimentation and technology testing. With its unparalleled flexibility and maneuverability, the X-37B is setting new standards in space exploration.

A spaceplane incorporates aspects of both aeroplanes and spacecraft. Most concepts were only capable of sub-orbital spaceflight. Uncrewed reentry test vehicle. Robotic orbiter operated by the United States Armed Forces. Uncrewed reentry test vehicle. Crewed orbiter, launched by the Energia rocket. Only one robotic flight was made.

Feb 18, 2025 · This NASA Aircraft page will showcase NASA’s aircraft operations that enable the Agency’s myriad missions, from preparing astronauts to go to space, to studying Earth from the air, to developing leading-edge aeronautic technologies.

Mar 7, 2025 · The Space Force did not publicize the spacecraft's return ahead of time, keeping with the Pentagon's policy of secrecy surrounding the X-37B program. This was the seventh flight of an X-37B ...