{"id":17901,"date":"2019-10-27T21:43:43","date_gmt":"2019-10-27T13:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/air-forces-mysterious-x-37b-space-plane-lands-after-spending-780-days-in-orbit\/"},"modified":"2019-10-27T21:43:43","modified_gmt":"2019-10-27T13:43:43","slug":"air-forces-mysterious-x-37b-space-plane-lands-after-spending-780-days-in-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/air-forces-mysterious-x-37b-space-plane-lands-after-spending-780-days-in-orbit\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force\u2019s mysterious X-37B space plane lands after spending 780 days in orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_529531\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-529531\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-529531\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/191027-x37b-630x376.jpg\" alt=\"X-37B space plane\" width=\"630\" height=\"376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/191027-x37b-630x376.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/191027-x37b-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/191027-x37b-1260x752.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-529531\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Air Force\u2019s X-37B space plane lands at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. (Air Force Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The U.S. Air Force\u2019s X-37B space plane landed today after spending a record-setting 780 days in orbit testing hush-hush technologies for long-duration spaceflight.<\/p>\n<p>Touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida came at 3:51 a.m. ET (12:51 a.m. PT), the Air Force said in a statement. The landing marked the end of the fifth test mission for the uncrewed mini-space shuttle, which experts say appears to be part of an effort to develop more versatile, faster-acting and longer-running spacecraft for remote sensing and satellite deployment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe X-37B continues to demonstrate the importance of a reusable spaceplane,\u201d Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said in today\u2019s statement.&nbsp;\u201cEach successive mission advances our nation\u2019s space capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Randy Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said the X-37B \u201csuccessfully completed all mission objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis mission successfully hosted Air Force Research Laboratory experiments, among others, as well as providing a ride for small satellites,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>One of the experiments is known to have tested the long-term performance of oscillating heat pipes, which could provide a low-cost way to cool high-powered electronics in orbit. When the X-37 was launched from Kennedy Space Center back in September 2017, the Air Force said the mission would also check the space plane\u2019s performance and maneuverability in a high-inclination orbit.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/u-7VNf7DCY8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This mission, known as OTV-5, marked the first time that an X-37B was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket instead of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5. The 780-day duration exceeded the 718-day record that had been set by the fourth test mission in May 2017. Three earlier missions took place in 2010, 2011-2012 and 2012-2014. Total test time over all five missions amounts to 2,875 days, or nearly seven years.<\/p>\n<p>The Air Force is thought to have at least two of the robotic space planes, which were built by Boeing as part of a project that started out under NASA\u2019s wing but was transferred to the Pentagon in 2004. The planes were designed for a 270-day mission duration in orbit but have now nearly tripled that time frame.<\/p>\n<p>Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said the X-37B\u2019s success is \u201cthe result of the innovative partnership between government and Industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sky is no longer the limit for the Air Force and, if Congress approves, the U.S. Space Force,\u201d Goldfein said.<\/p>\n<p>The next X-37B launch is set for 2020.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update for 3:05 p.m. PT Oct. 27:<\/strong> Walden\u2019s reference to giving some small satellites a ride on the X-37B raised some eyebrows among satellite experts, including Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Brian Weeden of the Secure World Foundation::<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1188513737571033089&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2019%2Fair-forces-mysterious-x-37b-space-plane-lands-spending-two-years-orbit%2F&amp;sessionId=0a9784996a04558b2ebe304cf080a94c534ba809&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1188513737571033089\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782799956810801837=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The statement that this @usairforce X-37 flight deployed small satellites is alarming, since the US has not reported those deployments in its UN Registration Convention submissions. This would be the first time that either the USA or Russia has blatantly flouted the Convention. https:\/\/t.co\/mpLWuvsECV<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) October 27, 2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/brianweeden\/status\/1188538420026662914<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Air Force\u2019s X-37B space plane lands at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. (Air Force Photo) The U.S. Air Force\u2019s X-37B space plane landed today after spending a record-setting 780 days in orbit testing hush-hush technologies for long-duration spaceflight. Touchdown at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[437,670,439,1011],"class_list":["post-17901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-air-force","tag-boeing","tag-military","tag-x-37b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17901\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}