Secretive Space Plane X-37B Will Return To Earth Soon

For the last 15 months, a secretive space plane has been on an unspecified mission. The Vandenberg Air Force Base announced today that the unmanned X-37B will be making its return to earth in the next few weeks.

The exact landing date, like everything else about the X-37B, is a little mysterious. The Vandenberg Air Force Base said that the secretive space plane is “expected to (land) during the early- to mid-June timeframe.”

According to a press release:

“Preparations for the second landing of the X-37B, the Air Force’s unmanned, reusable space plane, are underway at Vandenberg Air Force Base. While the exact landing date and time will depend on technical and weather considerations, it is expected to occur during the early- to mid-June timeframe.”

Col. Nina Armagno, 30th Space Wing commander said:

“The men and women of Team Vandenberg are ready to execute safe landing operations anytime and at a moment’s notice.”

Space.com reports that Vandenberg is the most likely landing site but the X-37B may also land at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

This is the second mission of the X-37B. The spacecraft, which was built for the Air Force by Boeing’s Phantom Works, was launched into orbit on March 5, 2011.

The payload that the X-37B is carrying is classified and details about the mission are scarce. We may not know much about the secretive space plan, but according to General William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, the mission has been a success.

“Although I can’t talk about mission specifics, suffice it to say this mission has been a spectacular success.”

The specifics of the missions are not clear, but the air force has said that “the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, or OTV, is a non-operational system that will demonstrate a reliable, reusable, unmanned space test platform for the U.S. Air Force. The objectives of the OTV program include space experimentation, risk reduction and a concept of operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies.”

The X-37B was scheduled to spend 270 days in orbit. But the plane performed so well that it was kept in orbit for over a year.