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  • X-37 returns



    There’s new military life in an old NASA project—the X-37 technology demonstrator. The U.S. Air Force announced today that it is developing an Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), based on the design of a NASA X-37 craft.


    U.S. Air Force Pushes For Orbital Test Vehicle

    By Leonard David
    Senior Space Writer
    posted: 17 November 2006

    There’s new military life in an old NASA project—the X-37 technology demonstrator. The U.S. Air Force announced today that it is developing an Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), based on the design of a NASA X-37 craft.

    It is to be designated as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.

    The U.S. Air Force has decided to continue full-scale development and on-orbit testing of an unmanned long-duration, reusable space vehicle.

    The new OTV effort dovetails off of industry and government investments by Air Force, NASA, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

    The OTV effort will be led by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and includes partnerships with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Boeing is the prime contractor for the OTV program—the same firm that was lead on the old NASA X-37 technology demonstrator.

    According to a statement from the Secretary of the Air Force, the OTV program will focus on “risk reduction, experimentation, and operational concept development for reusable space vehicle technologies, in support of long term developmental space objectives.”

    First flight

    The first orbital test flight of the OTV is planned for fiscal year 2008, with a launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas V launch vehicle.

    The OTV is the first vehicle since the space shuttle with the ability to return experiments to Earth for further inspection and analysis.

    That maiden orbital flight of the X-37B would demonstrate and validate guidance, navigation and control systems – fault tolerant, autonomous reentry and landing hardware. Also on tap is a shakeout of lightweight high temperature structures and landing gear.

    Either Vandenberg Air Force Base in California or Edwards Air Force Base—also in California—will conduct reentry and recovery activities.

    When last seen under DARPA program management, the X-37 technology demonstrator—also dubbed the Approach and Landing Test Vehicle—went through a series of taxi and air tests out at the Mojave, California inland spaceport, toted by the White Knight.

    White Knight is the Scaled Composites mothership used to carry the privately-built suborbital SpaceShipOne to high-altitude release.
    >
    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 19 November 2006, 08:58.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    Your hotlinked image doesn't work.
    There's an Opera in my macbook.

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    • #3
      Fixed.
      Dr. Mordrid
      ----------------------------
      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

      Comment

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