US military’s mystery space plane rockets back into orbit
1 of 6
The U.S. military’s mystery space plane rocketed into orbit again Sunday, this time with an extra load of science experiments. It’s the sixth flight of an X-37B, a solar-powered plane that’s flown by remote control without a crew. Officials aren’t saying how long the spacecraft will remain in orbit this time or the purpose of the mission.Image Credit: AP
2 of 6
But a senior vice president for X-37B developer Boeing, Jim Chilton, noted each mission has been progressively longer. The previous mission lasted a record two years, with a touchdown shrouded in darkness at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center last year. The winged spacecraft resembles NASA’s old shuttles, but is just one-quarter the size at 29 feet (9 meters) long.Image Credit: AP
3 of 6
The one just launched features an extra compartment for experiments, including several for NASA and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, making it the biggest science load yet for an X-37B. The Air Force has two of these reusable space planes. Their home base is a former space shuttle hangar at Kennedy. “You could say that the X-37B stands on the shoulders of the space shuttle,” Chilton said. “From a common shape to a common home.”Image Credit: AP
4 of 6
Since the first flight in 2010, the secretive space planes had logged a combined 2,865 days in orbit as of Sunday. “If you add up all the missions, just under eight years in orbit and 1 billion miles, so a lot of traveling by this machine,” Chilton said during the launch broadcast. Delayed a day by bad weather, this marked just the second rocket launch for the newly established Space Force.Image Credit: AP
5 of 6
In March, it hoisted a national security satellite. United Launch Alliance, which provided the Atlas V rocket, declared success 1 1/2 hours after liftoff. It dedicated Sunday’s launch to the health care workers and others who are working on the front lines of the pandemic. The company said it followed health advice for the launch. Many of the flight controllers wore masks and were spread out. Precautions were less evident along area causeways, where spectators parked to watch the Atlas soar.Image Credit: AP
6 of 6
Thick, low clouds spoiled the show. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station has an exceptionally fast turnaround for its next launch. Before dawn Tuesday, SpaceX will attempt to launch another batch of its Starlink satellites for global internet service. It will be SpaceX’s last flight before its first astronaut launch, scheduled for May 27 from next-door Kennedy Space Center.
Higher Education University Rankings 2020: Capital… June 29, 2020 
Sikkim Launches Exclusive Online Permits for Foreign… January 14, 2026 
Transforming Manhattan’s Most Famous Street March 11, 2020 
Soils of War: The Toxic Legacy For Ukraine’s… March 1, 2023 
GM Wants U.S. Treasury to Reconsider tax Credits for… January 7, 2023 
Oil Prices Dip as industry Data Shows Massive Build… January 11, 2023 
Financial Turbulence Widens Door to Private Equity… March 24, 2023 
Arun Gee: Humble Beginnings to Global Success May 15, 2024 
Graham Thorpe: A Cricket Legend Cut Short August 6, 2024 
Danny Denzongpa’s Wife Becomes Queen of… September 17, 2024 
CBSE ने सिलेबस से हटाए ‘धर्मनिरपेक्षता’… July 8, 2020 
केरल : भारी बारिश से इडुक्की में भूस्खलन, 13 की मौत,… August 7, 2020 
दिल्ली में गाड़ियों की तेज रफ्तार पर केंद्र ने लगाया ब्रेक June 11, 2021 
DU Admission 2021: जारी हुआ अंडरग्रेजुएट सीटों के… September 28, 2021 
