The U.S. X-37B orbital test vehicle/space shuttle’s sixth mission (OTV-6) announced the end, on November 12 successfully landed at the Kennedy Space Center shuttle landing strip, which also represents its return to the ground after more than 900 days.
The OTV-6 mission, which was launched in May 2020, returned on Nov. 12 local time and flew in orbit for 908 days, more than four months longer than the previous mission, according to the report.
Boeing says the X-37B is primarily a test platform. The vehicle helps researchers understand how payloads work in the space environment and then check them out on the ground.
Jim Chilton, Boeing senior vice president of space and launch, said, “Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it has broken records and provided our nation with an unparalleled ability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies.”
▲ Image credit: Boeing
The X-37B vehicle is similar to NASA’s now-retired space shuttle but is much smaller. It is about 8.8 meters long and 2.9 meters tall, with a wingspan of just under 4.6 meters. At the time of launch, it weighed 4,990 kg. The NASA space shuttle is 122 feet (37 meters) long and must be manually piloted. There are currently two X-37Bs in service, and its first five flights, as well as this one, were as follows
- OTV-1: Launched April 22, 2010, landed Dec. 3, 2010, and flew in orbit for more than 224 days.
- OTV-2: launched on March 5, 2011, landed on June 16, 2012, and flew in orbit for more than 468 days.
- OTV-3: launched on December 11, 2012, landed on October 17, 2014, and flew in orbit for more than 674 days.
- OTV-4: launched on May 20, 2015, landed on May 7, 2017, and spent 718 days in orbit.
- OTV-5: launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on Sept. 7, 2017, landed on Oct. 27, 2019, and spent nearly 780 days in orbit.
- OTV-6: Launched on May 17, 2020, on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket, with 908 days in orbit.
The OTV-6 mission hosts the Naval Research Laboratory’s photovoltaic RF antenna module, the department said. The experiment successfully harnessed solar rays from outside the Earth’s atmosphere to transmit electricity to the ground in the form of radio-frequency microwave energy.
“With the addition of the modules, this is the most we’ve carried to orbit with the X-37B, and we’re proud to be able to demonstrate this new and flexible capability for the government and its industry partners,” Chilton said.
In addition, OTV-6 deployed several NASA experiments, such as space material exposure and technological innovation, thermal control coatings and the effects of prolonged exposure of plant seeds to space, among many other test missions. it also carried a FalconSat-8 satellite designed by cadets from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Boeing representatives said in a statement today that the X-37B successfully deployed FalconSat-8 in October 2021, and the satellite is still roaming in orbit today.
