spacetoday.net: X-37 lands at Vandenberg

Posted: Sat, Dec 4, 2010, 8:56 AM ET (1356 GMT)
X-37B after OTV-1 landing (USAF)

The US Air Force announced Friday that the X-37B, an experimental robotic military spaceplane, landed safely at Vandenberg Air Force Base in the early morning hours. The X-37B, designated by the Air Force as Orbital Test Vehicle 1, landed at the main runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 4:16 am EST (0916 GMT). The Air Force only announced the landing after the vehicle had touched down; it announced earlier in the week the landing would take place between December 3 and 6. The vehicle had been in orbit since its launch in April on an Atlas 5, and has performed several maneuvers on orbit, according to amateur skywatchers tracking the vehicle. The small winged vehicle is designed to serve as a testbed for various vehicle technologies that could be applied to future military spaceplanes. A second X-37B, OTV-2, is scheduled for launch next spring.