US to launch X-37B research space plane on Wednesday
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028888
New Scientist : First launched in 2010, the X-37B is an uncrewed orbital space plane originally built for NASA but now operated by the US Air Force for secretive research projects. The USAF currently operates two of the vehicles. This will be the third launch for the first of the two vehicles. Details of the previous missions have been kept secret, but the space plane is generally considered to be a platform for long-term experiments; the previous missions lasted 224 days, 469 days, and 675 days each. Two of the payloads for tomorrow’s launch have been made public. One, for NASA, is a collection of materials that will be exposed to space for more than 200 days. The other is an experimental Hall effect thruster being tested for satellite maneuverability.