US military's X-37B space plane lands, ending record-breaking mystery mission

The sixth mission of the X-37B space plane is over.

The X-37B arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning. The time is 10:00 pm. The X-37B spent more time in the air than any other flight.

The service module was the first for the X-37B program.

With the service module added, this was the most we've ever carried to orbit on the X-37B, and we're proud to have been able to prove out this new and flexible capability for the government and its industry partners.

There are 10 surprising facts about the X-37B space plane.

The X-37B is small, measuring just 29 feet from nose to tail. The X-37B is autonomously piloted and the space shuttle was long and piloted.

Two X-37B vehicles were provided by Boeing and are thought to be owned by the U.S. space force. The duo has flown a number of missions, each of which is known by the signifier OTV.

• OTV-1: Launched on April 22, 2010 and landed on Dec. 3, 2010 (duration 224 days).
• OTV-2: March 5, 2011 to June 16, 2012 (468 days).
• OTV-3: Dec. 11, 2012 to Oct. 17, 2014 (674 days).
• OTV-4: May 20, 2015 to May 7, 2015 (718 days).
• OTV-5: Sept. 7, 2017 to Oct. 27, 2019 (780 days).
• OTV-6: May 17, 2020 to Nov. 12, 2022 (908 days).

The X-37B is a testing platform that allows researchers to see how the space environment works and then look at them on the ground.

Since the first launch of the X-37B in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unparalleled ability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies.

Most of the X-37B's activities are classified and the Space Force doesn't tell us when the OTV missions will end.

OTV6 tested the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's photovoltaic radio-frequency antenna module. The device is designed to convert solar energy into microwaves which can be beamed down to Earth. The work could help bring space-based solar power closer to reality.

The U.S. Air Force Academy designed a satellite called FalconSat-8 that was carried by OTV 6. In a statement today, representatives from Boeing said that the X-37B deployed FalconSat-8 in October of 2021.

Some NASA experiments were carried by OTV 6. One tested how space radiation affects plant seeds and the other gauged how different materials respond to space.

The Space Force's focus on collaboration in space exploration and expanding low-cost access to space for our partners, within and outside of the Department of the Air Force was highlighted in the statement. The Space Force is a part of the Air Force.

It didn't come close to the overall spaceflight mark despite setting a new mission-duration record.

There are some Earth-observation and communications satellites that operate for a long time. The International Space Station has been occupied by a rotating crew of astronauts since 2000 and NASA's probes have been in space for more than four decades.

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