CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A “sonic boom” was heard by many in Florida shortly before an uncrewed U.S. military space plane landed before dawn at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday.
The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, landed at 5:22 a.m. EST after spending almost 2.5 years in orbit. It was the sixth mission for Space Force’s reusable space plane, whose missions are typically classified, according to WFTV.
The Space Force launched the secretive X-37B orbital test vehicle atop the rocket in May 2020.
The space plane hosted a service module that carried experiments for the Naval Research Laboratory, U.S. Air Force Academy and others. The module separated from the vehicle before de-orbiting, according to The Associated Press.
The Boeing-made vehicle is described as a “testing platform” that allows researchers to study how payloads work in space and examine them when they return, according to Space.com. It also has the unique ability to change orbits during a mission.
“Since the X-37B’s first launch in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Chilton, a senior vice president for Boeing, told the AP.
The solar-powered X-37B has flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent 3,774 days in space.
The Space Force has at least two reusable space planes. Their home base is a former space shuttle hangar at Kennedy.