US Top Secret Space Plane Launch
US Space Force & USAF X-37B Space Plane Mission
Source: MIT Technology Review
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Launch Date Sunday May 17, 2020
The US Space Force & USAF's next top secret mission of its unmanned, robotic, long duration, X-37B space plane is set to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida tomorrow. It will hurtle into space onboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for what is now being called the US Space Force's OTV-6/USSF-7 mission. This is another secret mission for one of the most fascinating space planes in the universe.
Green, Solar Powered, Space Plane
The X-37B is an unpiloted, long distance, long duration flight spacecraft. It flies classified missions that can last months and even years for the US military. It is a green machine that's powered by a solar array that's the size of a pickup truck and embedded inside the space plane.
Tremendous Technology
The technology is incredible. There are 2, X-37B space planes built by Boeing. The winged aircraft can land themselves back on Earth, are reusable and look like a small NASA space shuttle. Plus, they are solar array powered. They have been on five missions since 2010 with 2,865 days in orbit.
Mission Six: OTV-6Experiments Onboard
The next mission for X-37B is OTB-6. Like all the other missions, it is classified and top secret. But it is known to contain several interesting experiments, that include a small FalconSat-8 satellite invented by the USAF Academy, NASA space environment experiments and a novel solar power beaming experiment from the Naval Research Laboratory.
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