US X-37B third launch in October

[TruthSeeker]

Air Force Mystery Space Plane Set for Next Secret Mission

26 September 2012

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. military’s mysterious X-37B space plane is headed back into the great beyond to do whatever it does up there.

The X-37B is slated for its third launch in October, the Air Force said, but like its two orbital predecessors, the mission of the unmanned spacecraft remains shrouded in secrecy. The exact timing of the October spaceflight, dubbed Orbital Test Vechicle-3 or OTV-3, is also tentative.

“We are on track for the launch of the X-37B to occur next month, but the exact date of the launch is dependent on a number of factors, including range conditions and weather,” Air Force spokesperson Lt. Col. John Dorrian told ABC News.

The 29-foot-long vehicle is set to launch aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from the Florida station of Cape Canaveral.

The pioneer voyage of the X-37B, called OTV-1, began in April of 2010 and lasted 225 days, eventually landing in December of the same year at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The second orbit, OTV-2, touched down on the same base this past June following a record-breaking 469-day travel.

“For this third launch, while the vehicle is the same… we are considering landing it at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida instead of the previous base,” said Dorrian. “We are looking to save money and make use of previous investments and infrastructure already available.”

The mission for this small shuttle-like machine, developed by the U.S. Air Force and based on NASA’s original X-37 design, remains largely classified. The secrecy surrounding the program, which is overseen by the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, has attracted international attention from nations like China, who have speculated a more aggressive intent.

“Industry analysts said the spacecraft could be a precursor to an orbiting weapon, capable of dropping bombs or disabling enemy satellites as it circles the globe,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency wrote in June after OTV-2 concluded its mission.

Since the 2010 maiden flight, U.S. officials have continuously assured the world that the mission of the OTV series is non-nefarious “testing.” For instance, the coming October mission will focus on testing the vehicle’s capabilities as well the cost-effectiveness of the aircraft, Air Force spokesperson Maj. Tracy Bunko told SPACE.com, which first reported on the new mission.

“One of the most promising aspects of the X-37B is it enables us to examine a payload system or technology in the environment in which it will perform its mission and inspect them when we bring them back to Earth,” Bunko said. “Returning an experiment via the X-37B OTV enables detailed inspection and significantly better learning than can be achieved by remote telemetry alone.”

Air Force Mystery Space Plane Set for Next Secret Mission

See previous thread:

http://www.defence.pk/forums/americas/164074-usaf-x-37b-1-year-orbit.html

 

[danger007]

any pics of X-37B

 

[TruthSeeker]

Secretive X-37B launch may be delayed by glitch

By Leonard David
updated 10/19/2012 6:59:34 PM ET

An investigation into a rocket glitch may delay the planned Oct. 25 launch of the U.S. military's enigmatic X-37B space plane, Air Force officials say.

The anomaly occurred Oct. 4, when a Delta 4 rocket blasted the GPS IIF satellite safely into orbit. While the unmanned X-37B spacecraft is ready to fly and doesn't use the Delta 4 — it lifts off atop an Atlas 5 — the Air Force's investigation into the glitch may affect the space plane's launch schedule.

Air Force Space Command commander General William Shelton has asked for a discretionary accident investigation board (AIB) to investigate why the Delta 4 RL-10B-2 upper stage engine did not perform as expected during the GPS satellite launch, said USAF Major Tracy Bunko at the Pentagon’s Air Force Press desk.

"We’re not sure yet if that will impact the launch date," Bunko told SPACE.com.

Per standard processes, the Air Force reviews all flight data to determine readiness to go on with the next liftoff. Therefore, the launch manifest schedule is currently under review while the root cause of the unexpected performance of the Delta 4's RL-10B-2 engine is determined.

First re-flight of craft

The upcoming X-37B mission — also known as Orbital Test Vehicle-3 (OTV-3) — is currently slated to blast off Oct. 25 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The third mission of the X-37B also marks the first re-flight of one of the space planes. This same vehicle flew the first flight, called OTV-1, back in 2010.

That maiden journey of the X-37B lasted 225 days. It launched into orbit on April 22 and landed on Dec. 3, zooming in on autopilot over the Pacific Ocean and gliding down onto a specially prepared runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The OTV-2 mission made a similar Vandenberg touchdown on June 16 of this year, having stayed in orbit for 469 days, more than doubling the 225 days its sister ship stayed on orbit.

The two space planes were built by Boeing Government Space Systems. They are each 29 feet long and 15 feet wide, with a payload bay about the size of a pickup truck bed.

According to Boeing, objectives of the X-37B program include space experimentation, risk reduction and concept-of-operations development. Boeing’s involvement in the program dates back to 1999.

High praise

What payloads are toted into Earth orbit by the military space planes is a hush-hush affair. Nevertheless, the ability to orbit sensors and whatever other hardware is being flown — and then return them to the ground — is receiving high marks.

"Now, here’s another historic achievement," Shelton said Sept. 18 at the Air Force Association’s 2012 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition at National Harbor, Md.

"On the 16th of June, we completed the second orbital test vehicle or OTV mission with the X-37B. OTV-2 spent 469 days on orbit," Shelton added. "The mission was a spectacular success. And while we can’t talk about the specifics here, X-37B and the entire team of blue suit, civilian and contractor operator, engineers and testers have absolutely exceeded our expectations."

In an earlier communiqué to SPACE.com, Bunko said that there is a possibility of landing the robotic space plane on the space shuttle landing strip at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, perhaps at the end of the OTV-3 mission.

Also under consideration is consolidating landing, refurbishment and launch operations of the X-37B at KSC or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station as a cost-saving step.

Secretive X-37B launch may be delayed by glitch - Technology & science - Space - Space.com | NBC News