Weather Hold Finally Leads to Successful Launch
In the latest step to improve space capability and further
develop an affordable, reusable space vehicle, Air Force
technicians launched the second X-37B March 5, officials said. The
Orbital Test Vehicle-2 launch comes on the heels of the successful
flight of OTV-1, which made an autonomous landing at Vandenberg Air
Force Base, Calif., Dec. 3 after 224 days in space. According to
officials, post-flight analysis of OTV-1 revealed OTV-2 needed no
significant changes, but detailed assessments of the first mission
are ongoing.
"Launch is a very demanding business and having what appears to
be a successful launch is always welcome news," said Deputy Under
Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs Richard McKinney,
adding he is pleased with the vehicle's initial status reports. "It
is important to remember that this is an experimental vehicle; that
this is just the second launch; and that we have just started what
is a very systematic checkout of the system."
Mr. McKinney explained the second X-37B flight will help Air
Force scientists better evaluate and understand the vehicle's
performance characteristics and expand upon the tests from OTV-1.
One performance test, for example, will evaluate a change following
the flight of OTV-1, which showed potential for greater flexibility
in the landing parameters.
"We look forward to testing enhancements to the landing
profile," said Lt. Col. Troy Giese, X-37B program manager for the
Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, which leads the Department of
Defense OTV program. Colonel Giese added that program officials
want to test landing capabilities in stronger wind conditions.
"The X-37B really is a remarkable scientific and aerospace
achievement," he said. "We'll also be looking at the performance of
its advanced thermal protection systems and tiles, solar power
systems and environmental modeling - all important system
capabilities for a space vehicle that we want to be able to bring
back and then re-launch quickly." Power and environmental
protections are also important to one of the most promising
capabilities of the vehicle: its orbit duration, which is much
longer than a manned mission like NASA's space shuttle, Colonel
Giese said. Similar to OTV-1, OTV-2's actual mission duration will
depend on the vehicle achieving its test objectives, but he expects
it to remain on orbit for approximately 270 days.
"We may extend the mission to enhance our understanding of the
OTV capabilities," Colonel Giese said, "especially since the
performance data from the first flight suggest that the vehicle
could have gone beyond the 270-day requirement." Air Force
officials assert the X-37B program has the potential to make space
experiments more affordable, which would allow future experiment
designers to focus resources and dollars on technology and
innovation rather than on basic services, layers of redundancy, or
ground operations.
"This program provides a test capability that was difficult to
achieve through other means, the ability to examine how highly
complex technologies will perform in space before they are made
operational," Mr. McKinney said, "But right now our focus is on the
X-37B itself, and this second flight is important to our further
understanding of its capabilities." Air Force officials anticipate
multiple missions will be required to satisfy the X-37B program
test objectives, but a third mission has not yet been
scheduled.
The OTV is the United States' newest and most advanced re-entry
spacecraft and is the first vehicle since NASA's Shuttle Orbiter
with the ability to return experiments to Earth for further
inspection and analysis. [ANN Salutes Master Sgt. Amaani Lyle,
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs]