artificialrace.com 
Estimated reading time: 1 minutes
The US military’s robotic mini-space shuttle dropped out of orbit and glided to a runway in California late Thursday, ending a 434-day mission that pioneered new ways of maneuvering in space.
The X-37B spaceplane touched down on Runway 12 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 11:22 pm local time Thursday (2:22 am EST Friday), capping its high-flying mission with an automated reentry and landing on the nearly three-mile-long runway at the West Coast’s spaceport.
The Space Force did not publicize the spacecraft’s return ahead of time, keeping with the Pentagon’s policy of secrecy surrounding the X-37B program. This was the seventh flight of an X-37B spaceplane, or Orbital Test Vehicle, since its first foray into orbit in 2010.
About The Author
Discover more from Artificial Race!
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
