The U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane blasted into Earth orbit today, kicking off the robotic vehicle’s clandestine fourth mission — as well as the first flight of a tiny solar-sailing spacecraft.
The robotic X-37B space plane launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket today (May 20) at 11:05 a.m. EDT (1505 GMT) from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. You can see a video of the X-37B space plane’s launch here.
Most details about the space plane’s orbital activities are classified, so it’s unclear what exactly the X-37B will be doing as it zooms around Earth, or how long it will remain aloft. But Air Force officials have said that mission number four — known as Orbital Test Vehicle-4 (OTV-4) — will concentrate less on the X-37B itself and more on the gear the spacecraft is carrying to orbit. [X-37B Space Plane’s 4th Mystery Mission in Photos]
“We are excited about our fourth X-37B mission,” Randy Walden, director of the Air
Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement late last month. “With the demonstrated success of the first three missions, we’re able to shift our focus from initial checkouts of the vehicle to testing of experimental payloads.”
Also on board the Atlas V were 10 miniscule “cubesats,” including the LightSail solar sail that was developed by the nonprofit Planetary Society. LightSail aims to prove out key solar-sailing technology ahead of a more ambitious orbital trial next year.
http://www.livescience.com/50910-x37b-space-plane-launches-fourth-mission.html
“Most details about the space plane’s orbital activities are classified, so it’s unclear what exactly the X-37B will be doing as it zooms around Earth, or how long it will remain aloft.
“We are excited about our fourth X-37B mission,” Randy Walden, director of the Air
Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement late last month.”
Yes, it’s so exciting that we can’t even tell you what we are doing with it or what it does, but trust us, it’s very exciting. You don’t even have to know what you should be excited about. Just be excited because we’re excited about something that we can’t tell you what it does, but are excited about it.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m so damn excited and I don’t know why!! WOW!!” – Sheeple