Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizen grass Luo Yuzi for the clue delivery! CTOnews.com, November 13 (Xinhua)-- the sixth mission of the US XMY 37B Orbital Test vehicle / Space Shuttle (OTV-6) has now been declared over. It successfully landed on the landing runway of the space shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center on November 12, which also means that it has returned to the ground more than 900 days later.

According to reports, the OTV-6 mission was launched in May 2020 and returned on November 12 local time. It flew in orbit for 908 days, more than four months longer than the previous mission.

Boeing of the United States says the XMui 37B is mainly a test platform. The aircraft can help researchers understand how payloads work in a space environment and then examine them on the ground.

Jim Chilton, senior vice president of space and launch at Boeing, said, "since its first launch in 2010, the Xmur37B has broken the record, providing our country with an unparalleled ability to quickly test and integrate new space technologies."

▲ Photo Source: Boeing Xmi 37B aircraft is similar to NASA's now decommissioned space plane, but much smaller. It is about 8.8 meters long and 2.9 meters high, with a wingspan of only less than 4.6 meters. At launch, it weighed 4990 kilograms. The NASA space shuttle is 122ft (37m) long and has to be driven manually.

At present, there are two XMY 37Bs in service. Its first five flights and this one are as follows:

OTV-1:2010 launched on April 22, 2010, landed on December 3, 2010, and flew in orbit for more than 224 days.

OTV-2:2011 launched on March 5, 2012, landed on June 16, 2012, and flew in orbit for more than 468 days.

OTV-3:2012 launched on December 11, 2014, landed on October 17, 2014, and flew in orbit for more than 674 days.

OTV-4:2015 was launched on May 20, 2017, landed on May 7, 2017, and flew in orbit for 718 days.

OTV-5:2017 was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on September 7, 2019, landed on October 27, 2019, and flew in orbit for nearly 780 days.

On May 17, OTV-6:2020, the Atlas 5 rocket carrying the United launch Alliance (ULA) was launched and flew in orbit for 908 days.

Relevant departments said: the OTV-6 mission carries the Naval Research Laboratory photovoltaic radio frequency antenna module. The experiment successfully uses the solar rays outside the earth's atmosphere to transmit electricity to the ground in the form of radio frequency microwave energy.

"with the addition of modules, this is the largest number of our Xmur37B brought to orbit, and we are proud to be able to demonstrate this new and flexible capability for the government and its industry partners," Chilton said.

In addition, OTV-6 has deployed a number of NASA experiments, such as space material exposure and technological innovation, thermal control coatings and the effects of long-term exposure of plant seeds in space. CTOnews.com learned that it also carried a FalconSat-8 satellite designed by cadets of the United States Air Force Academy.

The XMY 37B successfully deployed FalconSat-8 in October 2021, and the satellite is still in orbit today, Boeing representatives said in a statement today.

"A new record! Us military Space Shuttle Xmur37B returns to Earth: 780 days in Space

"the American mysterious aircraft Xmur37B goes back into space for its sixth mission."

"reveal the secret of the Xmur37B space plane: like a small space shuttle, it can fly continuously for more than two years."

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.