spacetoday.net: Air Force prepares for X-37 landing

Air Force prepares for X-37 landing

Posted: Wed, Dec 1, 2010, 6:19 AM ET (1119 GMT)
X-37 illustration (NASA/MSFC)

The Air Force announced late Tuesday it is planning to land a robotic military spaceplane in the coming days. The X-37B is slated to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California between Friday, December 3, and Monday, December 6; the timing of the landing will depend on "technical and weather considerations", according to an Air Force statement. The vehicle has been in orbit since its launch in April on an Atlas 5, and has performed several maneuvers on orbit, according to amateur skywatchers tracking the vehicle. The small winged vehicle is designed to serve as a testbed for various vehicle technologies that could be applied to future military spaceplanes.