U.S. Air Force's X-37B returns to Earth with a 'boom' and a new record for spaceflight

U.S. Air Force's X-37B returns to Earth with a 'boom' and a new record for spaceflight

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Residents along the Space Coast may have heard a boom early Sunday as the U.S. Air Force's secretive, uncrewed X-37B spaceplane returned to Kennedy Space Center after nearly two years in orbit.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle completed its fifth mission, landing about 3:51 a.m. Sunday at KSC's space shuttle landing facility for the second time. The 29-foot Boeing spaceplane – about a quarter the length of a space shuttle – was greeted by workers in protective suits as it sat on the tarmac.

“The X-37B continues to demonstrate the importance of a reusable spaceplane,” Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett said in a statement. “Each successive mission advances our nation’s space capabilities.”

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The mini-shuttle was in orbit for 780 days for its latest mission, breaking its previous record of 717 days. The spaceplane – initially designed for an orbit duration of 270 days per mission – has spent 2,865 days orbiting Earth. It is also considered the Air Force's top premier reusable, unmanned spacecraft. Its mission experiments are typically kept top secret but have a focus on Air Force Research Laboratory experiments along with providing a lift into orbit for small satellites.

“The safe return of this spacecraft, after breaking its own endurance record, is the result of the innovative partnership between Government and Industry,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein said in a release. “The sky is no longer the limit for the Air Force and, if Congress approves, the U.S. Space Force.”

The shuttle's latest mission launched Sept. 7, 2017, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a Space X Falcon 9 booster. The next flight – its sixth – will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in 2020.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: X-37B spaceplane returned to Earth after 780 days in orbit