The Air Force’s secret space vehicle will return to earth from its two-year unmanned mission. The self-driving vehicle is planned to complete its third mission Tuesday.
The Boeing X-37B’s mission is to examine reusable spacecraft technologies for America’s future in space. The experiment focuses on sending an unmanned Boeing vehicle into space, which is based on NASA’s X-37 design. Boeing’s spacecraft is the first vehicle since NASA’s Shuttler Orbiter with the ability to return unmanned to Earth for further inspection and analysis. One of the missions highlighted features is the vehicle’s self driven ability to re-enter and land, according to the U.S Air Force statement.
The Air Force’s secret mission for the 30 ft automated vessel is still unreported because the X-37B program is considered highly classified, no party can give information for the experiments military purposes. “We in fact have never done any interview on this program, on or off the record.” said a Boeing spokesperson, reports Quartz.
The Air Force’s closed mouth about its mission has not stopped space enthusiasts from making speculations about the crafts future in the U.S military. However, the ability to return to Earth very quickly could allow future troops to enter battle very quickly, reports Popular Science.