Secret shuttle has been in orbit for five hundred days

Anniversary marks military shuttle

At the end of 2012, a military mini-shuttle launched from Cape Canaveral on board the Atlas-5. It is not known where the spacecraft landed or when, but five hundred days have passed since its launch, and it remains in orbit. On this occasion, its robotic miniature marked the 500th day in orbit of the shuttle.

The OTV-3 spacecraft is one of two U.S. Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) vehicles. It was almost twice as long as its predecessor. How long he will stay in space, the U.S. Air Force did not say.

Perhaps by the time it returns, it will have a new base, similar to previous ships that launched from Florida and returned and repaired in California (Vandenberg Base).

In the meantime, Boeing is investing in a canned hangar at the Kennedy Center, where it is possible to repair the X-37B ten meters long.

But the company's announcement, made in January, will allow the hangar to land, restore and restart the shuttle. Perhaps for the X-37B program, the reason for choosing the hangar was that it was vacant since 2011, i.e. after the return of the shuttle Atlantis.

Little is known about the mission: this experimental ship is used to practice technology.



Source: planetologia.ru/