X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Scheduled To Return From Classified Mission Tuesday

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
The top-secret, 22-month-long military mission of the X-37B robotic mini-shuttle will end this week, as the US Air Force announced on Friday that the space plane is scheduled to touch down in California on Tuesday.
According to Reuters reporter Irene Klotz, weather and technical factors will determine the exact time when the 29-foot-long space plane also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle will land at Vandenberg Air Force Base near the city of Lompoc.
The Boeing-built X-37B took off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on December 11, 2012, starting what was essentially its third mission. However, the Air Force was tight-lipped about specifics of that mission. The Boeing-built vehicle spent 469 days in space as part of its second mission, which was also classified.
The experimental vehicle conducted its first flight in April 2010, returning after a period of eight months. In March 2011, a second mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and remained in orbit for 15 months.

Military officials have said the space planes were designed to test new technology, but would not elaborate on specifics. As a result, there has been much speculation over the purpose of the flights, with some suggesting in May 2010 that the unmanned Orbital Test Vehicle was involved in the development and deployment of spy satellites.
In May 2010, Gary E. Payton, undersecretary of the Air Force for space programs, emphasized to the media that the X-37B missions did not involve the development of any top-secret, cutting-edge space weapons, noting that the program “supports technology risk reduction, experimentation and operational concept development.” Civilian specialists have said the flights focus at least partially on the testing of powerful new surveillance sensors.
“We are very pleased with the results of ongoing X-37B experiments,” Tom McIntyre of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office told reporters in March 2012, shortly after the OTV surpassed the one-year milestone in space. “The X-37B program is setting the standard for a reusable space plane and, on this one-year orbital milestone, has returned great value on the experimental investment.”

Image Above: File image from June 20, 2001 shows Orbiter Processing Facility 1 and 2 (left) and Vehicle Assembly Building (right) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA
As Klotz also reported on Sunday, the USAF and NASA finalized a deal last week that would relocate the X-37B program from California to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Reuters reporter also reports the military is considering using the runway previously used by the space shuttle to land future OTV flights.
According to NBC News, the lease will allow the Air Force to take over two of the three space shuttle processing hangars at Kennedy. Those hangars will be refurbished thanks to a $9 million contribution from Space Florida, a state-supported economic development group, and a $4.5 million one from OTV maker Boeing.
Those upgrades are scheduled to be completed in December, the news organization added.
“Kennedy is positioning itself for the future, transitioning to a multi-user launch facility for both commercial and government customers, while embarking on NASA’s new deep space exploration plans,” Kennedy Center Director Robert Cabana said in a statement last Wednesday. “A dynamic infrastructure is taking shape, designed to host many kinds of spacecraft and rockets.”
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