OTV-1 (X-37B) (USA 212)
Atlas V 501
Thursday, April 22, 2010 · 23:52 UTC
Mission
/01It is the first flight of Boeing X-37B, a United States Air Force Orbital Test Vehicle, which is an unmanned 5000 kg, 8.8 m-long reusable mini-spaceplane capable of autonomous re-entry and landing. The OTV-1 mission was designed to test new technologies, however the specific identity of the spaceship's payload was not revealed. OTV was the first vehicle since NASA's shuttle orbiter capable of returning experiments to Earth for further inspection and analysis. The mission concluded after 224 days in orbit, marking the first American autonomous orbital runway landing.
Mission Type
Orbit
Probability
Status
Vehicle & Pad
/02Rocket
Atlas V 501
Variant: 501
Launch Pad
Space Launch Complex 41
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
28.583° N, 80.583° W
Pad Launches
Location Launches
Agency Launches
Orbital This Year