Pilotless spacecraft back after 469 days

[Deano]

Boeing's second X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle landed in California after a 469-day mission by the US Air Force to test the capabilities of reusable unmanned vehicles for space missions.

The pilotless spacecraft, which was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 5 last year, landed on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
"With OTV-1, we proved that unmanned space vehicles can be sent into orbit and safely recovered," said Paul Rusnock, Boeing vice-president of Government Space Systems.

"With OTV-2, we tested the vehicle design even further by extending the 220-day mission duration of the first vehicle, and testing additional capabilities."
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