An unmanned U.S. military space plane landed early
Saturday after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and
conducting science experiments.
The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a
miniature space shuttle, landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Its previous
mission lasted 780 days.
"Since the X-37B's first launch in 2010, it has
shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to
rapidly test and integrate new space technologies," said Jim Chilton, a
senior vice president for Boeing, its developer.
For the first time, the space plane hosted a service
module that carried experiments for the Naval Research Laboratory, U.S. Air
Force Academy and others. The module separated from the vehicle before
de-orbiting to ensure a safe landing.
Among the experiments was a satellite dubbed the
FalconSat-8 that was designed and built by academy cadets in partnership with
the Air Force Research Laboratory. It was deployed in October 2021 and still
remains in orbit.
Another experiment evaluated the effects of
long-duration space exposure on seeds.
"This mission highlights 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," said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.
The X-37Be has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and
spent a total of 3,774 days in space.
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