An Air Force X-37B spaceplane just completed its 718th day in orbit, making it the longest mission yet for a secretive military test programLOMPOC, Calif. - An Air Force X-37B spaceplane just completed its 718th day in orbit, making it the longest mission yet for a secretive military test program.
The US military has launched five uncrewed X-37B spaceplanes into orbit over the past decade, and each flight has been longer than its predecessor.
The current mission has no specified end date, according to Air Force spokesman Major William Russell.
The current X-37B plane in orbit, called OTV-5, was launched to space in September 2017 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The first X-37B took off in April 2010 and returned to Earth about eight months later, totaling about 225 days in space.