The secret space drone of the US Air Force successfully tested

December 4 2010 1

The test flight of a secret unmanned military spacecraft of the USAF X-37В ended successfully.

Resembling a reduced orbital stage of the shuttle, the Reusable Orbital Test Vehicle (OIA) landed on Friday at Vandenberg Air Force Base (California), ITAR-TASS reports.

We are very pleased that this project has achieved all the goals set in orbit for the first mission of the vehicle.

- said Lieutenant Colonel Troy Giese (Troy Giese) from the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO), which manages the X-37B program, RIA reports.News».

The next launch of X-37B (OTV-2) is scheduled for the spring 2011 of the year. Earlier it was reported that the US Air Force will contract for a second X-37B, depending on the success of the current mission.

X-37B was launched into April 22 orbit in an atmosphere of secrecy. To power in orbit, he used solar panels, which, in theory, could allow him to autonomously be in near-Earth space for 270 days. At the same time, additional fuel tanks along with a jet engine allow it to maneuver in orbit. This explains the sudden change in course.

In August, X-37B misled astronomers around the world watching it, "disappeared" from their sight for three weeks and re-appeared, but in a different orbit.

Experts believe that this mysterious maneuver, in which the shuttle changed orbit, demonstrating its stealth qualities, may provide another clue to the true purpose of the American device.

Created by a division of the Boeing Aerospace Corporation, X-37B was initially developed under the leadership of NASA. However, later the project secretary became the curator of the US Air Force.

It is officially reported that the prototype of the orbital drone The X-37B is designed to test new technologies for launching into orbit and lowering payloads from it. Meanwhile, the media claim that only a few people in the leadership of the Armed Forces of this country know about the true purpose of the "space tug".

However, many experts say that the creation of such an apparatus, which cost US taxpayers 173 million dollars, is economically unviable for declared purposes. They believe that X-37B was created for reconnaissance purposes, and one of its true missions could also be a space interceptor function, which would allow inspecting other spacecraft and, if necessary, disable them using kinetic effect.