A US military X-37B space drone landed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida on Saturday after spending nearly two and a half years in orbit, planemaker Boeing said.
The unmanned shuttle, whose maiden flight took place in 2010, spent a total of more than ten years in space on its six missions, the manufacturer adds in a press release.
she continues to break records, providing our country with an unprecedented ability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies
said Jim Chilton, vice president of Boeing Space.
Launched in great secrecy, the X-37B was designed by the United States Air Force United Launch Alliancea joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
It is nine meters long, has a wingspan of 4.5 meters and is powered by solar panels.
The Pentagon had previously lifted the veil on its goals last start, May 2020which gives rise to a whole series of scientific experiments.
The mission consisted of testing the reactions of certain materials in space, assessing the effects of ambient radiation in space on a range of seeds, and converting solar radiation into radioelectric energy, the army said.
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