#x37b

[spaceexp]

An Earth photo published by U.S. Space Force and made by X-37B OTV-7 from high orbit

[gemini-enthusiast]

Going to edit the launch footage tomorrow but I'm psyched, I managed to catch a space jellyfish from the X-37B launch tonight!

(Pardon the gif quality, I made it with my phone's built-in tool)

This fascinating effect is caused by sunlight reflecting off of the rocket's plume once it reaches an altitude where it is hit by the sun, while the observer on Earth is in twilight or nighttime. The last time I caught one was the Fram2 launch, which launched in a polar orbit that allowed me to follow it across the sky. This one, carrying the covert military spaceplane the X-37B, flew over the Atlantic. I've never seen one this late, but I think it's cause in Florida in the summer the sun literally sets at like 8pm so you have a lot more of an opportunity to get the effect. Either way, absolutely stunning.

While it's not in the gif, I actually saw two jellyfish effects, as it occurred right around first stage separation. Once the stages separated, both the continuing second stage and returning first stage had jellyfish, with the first stage's following its boostback burns.

[kramlabs]

New Chinese Space Plane Landed At Mysterious Air Base, Evidence Suggests

The mission took place last week, shrouded in secrecy, but some clues are emerging about what China sent into space, and why.

This Remote Base With A Massive Runway Looks To Be Where China's Secretive Spacecraft Landed

The craft, which is thought to be a spaceplane designed to land on a traditional runway, also appears to have launched a small payload into

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36270/this-remote-base-with-a-massive-runway-looks-to-be-where-chinas-secretive-spacecraft-landed

...

Same place the missing F-35 went?

[for-all-mankind]

Less than 2 hours after launching the OTV-5 mission for the US Air Force September 7, the Deimos-2 satellite photographed Falcon 9′s boost stage at LZ-1. The rocket successfully lofted the X-37b mini space shuttle into orbit before returning to Cape Canaveral for landing. Although Deimos-2 has imaged multiple other Falcon 9 rockets in the past, this is the first time that it captured the vehicle after it landed. P/c: Deimos Imaging

[futurnow]

X37B_with_technicians

[vonkickass]

A quick X37B sketch during morning coffee

Source

[gemini-enthusiast]

Made a short for the x-37b launch! This might be my favorite launch short yet.

[for-all-mankind]

X-37B returns from fourth orbital flight, makes first KSC landing.

Concluding a record-breaking stay in space, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane returned to Earth this morning. The vehicle spent more than 718 in orbit after launching atop an Atlas V rocket on May 20th, 2015.  Although the X-37′s operations in orbit are classified, at least two of its payloads were confirmed to be an experimental electric propulsion engine and a materials exposure pallet. The spaceplane performed a completely autonomous landing at Kennedy Space Center’s runway 15 shortly before 8am EDT, the same runway used by the Space Shuttle program. It marked the first time one of the Orbital Test Vehicle spaceplanes landed at Kennedy Space Center. Following brief servicing on the runway, the vehicle will be towed to one of the former Orbiter Processing Facilities next to the Vehicle Assembly building. The Air Force has converted one of the old shuttle hangars for use by the OTV program to house their spaceplanes. P/C: USAF