Government/Top Secret
It is the second flight of the second Boeing X-37B vehicle and the fourth flight of the program. United States Air Force Orbital Test Vehicle is an unmanned 5000 kg, 8.8 m-long reusable mini-spaceplane capable of autonomous re-entry and landing. The OTV-4 mission was to test Aerojet Rocketdyne's XR-5A Hall-effect thruster and conduct a NASA investigation for testing various materials in space. The mission concluded after 717 days in orbit, marking the first time X-37B landed on the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.
Orbital Attempt
#5,469
ULA Mission
#97
Pad Launch
#71
Location Launch
#728
Designator
2015-025
May 20, 2015, 3:05 PM
1 update
1:00 PM
Window Open
5:00 PM
Window Close
Atlas V with 5m Fairing, 0 SRB, 1 Centaur upper stage engine.
Length
58.3 m
Diameter
3.8 m
Launch Mass
334 t
Thrust
3,827 kN
LEO Capacity
8,210 kg
GTO Capacity
3,780 kg
Launch Cost
$120M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
2010
Fastest Turnaround
5mo 1d
Total Launches
8
Successful
8
Failed
0
Consecutive Success
8
Maiden flight: Apr 22, 2010
United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. ULA launches from both coasts of the US. They launch their Atlas V vehicle from LC-41 in Cape Canaveral and LC-3E at Vandeberg. Their Delta IV launches from LC-37 at Cape Canaveral and LC-6 at Vandenberg.
Founded
2006
Administrator
Interim CEO: John Elbon
Total Launches
173
Successful
173
Failed
0
Pending
38
Consecutive Success
173
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
Timezone
America/New_York
Local Launch Time
May 20, 2015, 11:05 AM
Total Launches
1,109
Total Landings
75
Coordinates
28.4889, -80.5778