A Brief History of the X-37B
At a launch weight of just under 5 000 kilograms, the X-37B resembles the infamous space shuttle but is a lot smaller with a length of only 8.8 meters and a wingspan of 4.6 meters. For comparison, each space shuttle was 37 m long with a wingspan of 24 m. Stunningly, the top speed of the X-37B is in excess of 28 000 km/h which beats the SR 71 Blackbird by at least a factor of 8!
The solar-powered X-37B space plane launches vertically, just like the space shuttle, with the aid of a rocket and glides back to Earth for a normal runway landing. So far, United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket have been used to launch the X37B. All missions to date have launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida, whilst the latest mission will conclude with a return to the Shuttle Landing Facility runway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, a few miles from the X-37B’s hangar.
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