LAUNCH MISSION
ULA Atlas V 501 OTV-1 (X-37B) (USA 212)
Launch Pad
Space Launch Complex 41
Description
It is the first flight of Boeing X-37B, a United States Air Force Orbital Test Vehicle, which is an unmanned 5000 kg, 8.8 m-long reusable mini-spaceplane capable of autonomous re-entry and landing. The OTV-1 mission was designed to test new technologies, however the specific identity of the spaceship's payload was not revealed. OTV was the first vehicle since NASA's shuttle orbiter capable of returning experiments to Earth for further inspection and analysis. The mission concluded after 224 days in orbit, marking the first American autonomous orbital runway landing.
Atlas V 501
Rocket Description
Atlas V with 5m Fairing, 0 SRB, 1 Centaur upper stage engine.