Canada Journal – News of the World Articles and videos to bring you the biggest Canadian news stories from across the country every day
After spending nearly two years in orbit, the mysterious X-37B space plane finally landed in California at the Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday morning.
It is not known what the aircraft, resembling a mini space shuttle, was doing during its top-secret flight. In announcing its return, the US Air Force said the X-37B had been conducting “on-orbit experiments.”
Experts have put forward several theories regarding the clandestine mission; among them is the suggestion that it is designed to spy on China’s new space laboratory.
The X-37B program, which began in 1999, has conducted three classified missions.
The first flight was launched in April 2010 and lasted eight months. The second plane took off in March 2011 and returned to the Earth 15 months later.
The Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, which currently runs the mysterious program, has reportedly planned a fourth mission in 2015.
NASA and several other federal agencies have resided over the program since 1999.
Europe will test its own unmanned space plane technology in the foreseeable future.
Agencies/Canadajournal
