The top-secret American spacecraft X-37B has returned to Earth after an unprecedented 908 days in orbit
What did the X-37B perform in orbit for longer than its previous record of two years? The X-37B landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 12 November after 908 days in orbit Boeing/U.S. Space Force The secretive X-37B space plane has beaten its previous flight duration record by staying in orbit for 908 days before landing. The autonomous craft, operated by the United States Space Force (USSF), is officially classified and therefore scant details about its purpose or missions are released, but officials say that the latest flight carried a host of scientific experiments. The X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) began life under the umbrella of NASA, but was passed to the US military, which created the X-37B variant. That model first flew in orbit in 2010 and the two vehicles constructed so far have carried out increasingly lengthy flights, including a 674-day mission that ended in 2014. Its latest 908-day mission sets a new record for the craft, although many othe...