This infrared view of the U.S.'s Air Force secret X-37B space plane was taken shortly after it landed at Vandenberg Air Force base on June 16, 2012.
Designed to be launched like a satellite and land like an airplane, the second X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, built by Boeing for the United States Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, is an affordable, reusable space vehicle.
This still from an infrared camera shows the U.S. Air Force's second X-37B robotic space plane as it approaches a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California during a June 16, 2012, landing that ended a 469-day mission.
The SPACE.com infographic depicts the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is an unmanned space test vehicle for the USAF.
This still from an infrared camera shows the U.S. Air Force's second X-37B robotic space plane as it lands at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California during a June 16, 2012, touchdown that ended a 469-day mission.
This still from a U.S. Air Force video shows the second X-37B unmanned space plane just after landing on June 16, 2012 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that ended a 469-day mission.
The Boeing-built X-37B autonomously landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on June 16, 2012 after a successful 469-day mission.
This still from a U.S. Air Force video shows the second X-37B unmanned space plane just after wheelstop following a June 16, 2012 landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that ended a 469-day mission.
Stretching 29 feet in length and weighing 11,000 pounds, the second Boeing-built X-37B became the longest on-orbit space vehicle on June 16, 2012 when it completed a 469-day mission with an autonomous landing at Vandenberg Air Force Station in California.
In this artist's conception, an Atlas V rocket jettisons its payload fairing to release the second X-37B space plane during the Air Force's Orbital Test Vehicle 2 mission in March 2011.
This still image taken from a video by Canadian skywatcher Kevin Fetter shows the X-37B space plane, known as the Orbital Test Vehicle 2, as it passed over his site on March 24, 2011.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying the Air Force's second X-37B robot space plane, the Orbital Test Vehicle 2 (OTV-2), launches from its Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 5, 2011 at 5:46 p.m. EST.
The second Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, built for the U.S. Air Force, is shown here during encapsulation within the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket's 5-meter fairing at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., on Feb. 8, 2011. The Air Force launched the new space plane from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 5.
The Air Force's second X-37B space plane soars toward space atop an Atlas 5 rocket after launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 5, 2011.
Diagram of the orbits of the X-37B space plane (red line) and China's Tiangong 1 space module (green line), as of early January 2012. The orbit for Tiangong 1 was pulled from the U.S. military's Space Track website, and the orbit for X-37B is from amateur observations.
Diagram of the orbits of the X-37B space plane (red line) and China's Tiangong 1 space module (green line), as of early January 2012. The orbit for Tiangong 1 was pulled from the U.S. military's Space Track website, and the orbit for X-37B is from amateur observations.
The second Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, built for the U.S. Air Force, is shown here during encapsulation within the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket's 5-meter fairing at Astrotech in Titusville, Fla., on Feb. 8, 2011. The Air Force launched the new space plane from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 5.
The Air Force's X-37B space plane, set to fly the OTV-2 mission, is shown inside its rocket nose cone before being mated to its Atlas 5 booster for launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in March 2011.
The Air Force's mission emblem for the secretive OTV-2 space plane flight using a robotic X-37B spacecraft is visible as the vehicle is mated to its Atlas 5 booster in preparation for launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
An Atlas 5 carrying Air Force's second X-37B space plane on its secretive OTV-2 mission rolls out to the seaside launch pad for launch from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with the Air Force’s second X-37B robot space plane, the Orbital Test Vehicle 2 (OTV-2) rolls out to its Space Launch Complex-41 launch pad on March 3, 2011, one day before launch. The OTV-2 supports space experimentation, risk reduction, and concept of operations development for long duration and reusable space vehicle technologies.
Now being readied for an orbital shakeout, the X-37B (shown here in an illustration) is an unpiloted military space plane. Launched from Florida, the vehicle will make an auto-touchdown in California.
Early artist concept of the X-37 advanced technology flight demonstrator re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. The X-37 was billed by NASA as a testbed for dozens of advanced structural, propulsion and operational technologies that could dramatically lower the
An Atlas 5 rocket holding a U.S. Air Force X-37B space plane in its nose cone sits on the launch pad in Floriday on Friday, March 4, 2011. Bad weather delayed the launch, with another attempt coming March 5.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center image shows on-orbit functions for the reusable X-37 space plane, now under the wing of the U.S. Air Force.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket carrying the Air Force's second X-37B robot space plane, the Orbital Test Vehicle 2 (OTV-2), launches from its Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on March 5, 2011 at 5:46 p.m. EST.
The Air Force's second X-37B robot space plane blasts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 5, 2011 to begin its secret Orbital Test Vehicle 2 mission.
This exploded view details the components of the Atlas V 501 vehcle. The configuration consists of a single Atlas V booster stage and the Centaur upper stage, with the OTV mission encapsulated within the payload fairing.
The U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane prototype, called the Orbital Test Vehicle 1, is primed for its debut launch into space in April 2010.
Despite its robotic nature, the X-37B space plane received a warm welcome from Air Force crews at Vandenberg. Here, the vehicle appears to be undergoing safing procedures after landing on Dec. 3 at 1:16 a.m. PST (0916 GMT). Significant weathering, or discoloration, can be seen on the spacecraft's upper thermal blanket insulation.
This series of illustrations depicts the sequence of events for a potential X-37B space plane delivery flight to the International Space Station. The Boeing-built X-37B is a robotic space plane currently flying classified missions for the U.S. Air Force.
These designs from a Boeing study show configuration for a crewed space plane (X-37C) derived from the unmanned X-37B spacecraft. The designs could carry up to six astronauts to low-Earth orbit and include autonomous and piloted flight capabilities.
This size chart shows how the Boeing-built X-37B robot space plane compares to NASA's space shuttle, a larger version of the spacecraft called the X-37C and an Atlas 5 rocket.
This Boeing graphic depicts the steady evolution of the robotic X-37B space plane design into a larger vehicle that could potentially carry astronauts. The process incrementally retires risk as capabilities increase, according to Boeing officials.
