There’s new military life in an old NASA project—the X-37 technology demonstrator. The U.S. Air Force announced today that it is developing an Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), based on the design of a NASA X-37 craft. It is to be designated as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.The U.S. Air Force has decided to continue full-scale development and on-orbit testing of an unmanned long-duration, reusable space vehicle. The new OTV effort dovetails off of industry and government investments by Air Force, NASA, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The OTV effort will be led by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and includes partnerships with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Boeing is the prime contractor for the OTV program—the same firm that was lead on the old NASA X-37 technology demonstrator.According to a statement from the Secretary of the Air Force, the OTV program will focus on “risk reduction, experimentation, and operational concept development for reusable space vehicle technologies, in support of long term developmental space objectives.”The first orbital test flight of the OTV is planned for fiscal year 2008, with a launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas V launch vehicle. The OTV is the first vehicle since the space shuttle with the ability to return experiments to Earth for further inspection and analysis.That maiden orbital flight of the X-37B would demonstrate and validate guidance, navigation and control systems – fault tolerant, autonomous reentry and landing hardware. Also on tap is a shakeout of lightweight high temperature structures and landing gear.
View: Full Article | Source: Space.com
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