A U.S. military X-37B space drone landed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida on Saturday after spending nearly two and a half years in orbit, aircraft manufacturer Boeing said.

The unmanned shuttle, whose first flight took place in 2010, spent a total of more than ten years in space, during its six missions, adds the manufacturer in a press release.


The Boeing-built #X37B has landed at @NASAKennedy, marking the completion of its sixth mission with the @SpaceForceDoD.

The award-winning spaceplane broke yet another endurance record, spending 908 days in orbit.



Release: https://t.co/xMvHGxqlwA pic.twitter.com/EeSiR2hDQB

—Boeing Space (@BoeingSpace) November 12, 2022

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It "continues to break records and provides our country with an unparalleled ability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies," said Boeing Space Vice President Jim Chilton.

Launched in the greatest secrecy, the X-37B was designed for the United States Air Force by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Powered by solar panels

It is nine meters long, has a wingspan of 4.5 meters and is powered by solar panels.

The Pentagon had lifted the veil on its objectives before its last launch, in May 2020, by evoking a whole series of scientific experiments.

The mission was to test the reactions of certain materials in space, evaluate the effects of ambient radiation in space on a series of seeds, and transform solar radiation into radio-electric energy, the army explained.

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  • Science

  • Pentagon

  • Boeing

  • Florida

  • Drone

  • Space