The US X-37B spacecraft has returned to Earth after a 434-day flight on a secret military mission. The US space force said in a statement that the vehicle “broke new ground” by performing test missions and experiments.
The landing took place in California on 7 March. It was the seventh test flight for the spaceplane, first launched in 2010. It launches using heavy launch vehicles but lands in aircraft mode.
The X-37B is designed by the Boeing Corporation. The space force said tests in a highly elliptical orbit demonstrated the spaceplane’s “robust manoeuvring capabilities”. It is reported that the purpose of the experiments is to “improve the U.S. Space Force’s knowledge of the space environment.”