Atlas 5 launches X-37
Posted: Fri, Apr 23, 2010, 7:01 AM ET (1101 GMT)
An Atlas 5 rocket launched a secretive military spaceplane Thursday evening. The Atlas 5 501 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7:52 pm EDT (2352 GMT) and placed the X-37B vehicle into low Earth orbit about 20 minutes later. The X-37B, also called the Orbital Test Vehicle, is an unmanned "mini-shuttle" designed to test various unspecified technologies and then reenter, gliding to a runway landing in California. The X-37 was initially a NASA program to demonstrate RLV technologies, but later transferred to DARPA and then the Air Force, which has released few details about the vehicle and its mission.
An Atlas 5 rocket launched a secretive military spaceplane Thursday evening. The Atlas 5 501 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7:52 pm EDT (2352 GMT) and placed the X-37B vehicle into low Earth orbit about 20 minutes later. The X-37B, also called the Orbital Test Vehicle, is an unmanned "mini-shuttle" designed to test various unspecified technologies and then reenter, gliding to a runway landing in California. The X-37 was initially a NASA program to demonstrate RLV technologies, but later transferred to DARPA and then the Air Force, which has released few details about the vehicle and its mission.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
FAA restricts hours for commercial launches during shutdown
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 9:05 AM ET (1405 GMT) China postpones Shenzhou-20 return on orbital debris concerns
Posted: Sun, Nov 9 8:58 AM ET (1358 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, November 11
Kazakh farmers put Starlink on horses and dogs to herd livestock
Intellinews — 5:07 am ET (1007 GMT) Rocket Lab Shares Surge With Bigger Launch Planned for 2026
Wall Street Journal — 5:05 am ET (1005 GMT) FAA Order Restricting Launch Hours Could Affect Upcoming SpaceX Missions from Vandenberg
Santa Barbara (CA) Edhat — 5:00 am ET (1000 GMT) SpaceX successfully launches Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Space Coast
WESH-TV Orlando — 5:00 am ET (1000 GMT) Airbus ships fourth European Service Module for Artemis IV
Airbus Group — 4:59 am ET (0959 GMT) |
