Top secret space plane lands in California
October 18, 2014
A top secret US space plane has landed back on Earth after spending nearly two years in orbit, though the craft's mission remains a mystery.
The robotic plane known as the X-37B spent 674 days orbiting the Earth on a classified mission and touched down Friday at Vandenberg Air Force Base in the state of California. Military officers say the plane's mission is still top secret.
"I'm extremely proud of our team for coming together to execute this third safe and successful landing," Commander Keith Balts said after the plane landed.
No one knows exactly what the plane was doing during its two years circling the globe. Some analysts believe the plane could conduct spying from space, potentially monitoring or even capturing other countries' satellites. Others speculate that the plane could be used to monitor China's space lab.
But officials deny the project has anything to do with the creation of a "space weapon." The US Air Force would only say that the craft had been conducting "on-orbit experiments" and that the X-37B can test "reusable" spacecraft technology.
The X-37B program is currently being administered by the US Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office after being previously run by several government agencies, including NASA. The most recent mission is the third and longest to-date for the space plane. Its previous two flights lasted eight and 15 months respectively.
The spacecraft, which was built by Aerospace contractor Boeing, is slightly over 29 feet (8.8 meters) long with a wingspan of roughly 15 feet (4.5 meters). It resembles a small space shuttle and travels at 25 times the speed of sound while in orbit.
A fourth X-37B mission is planned for next year.
bw/jm (AP, AFP)