CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A mysterious space plane rocketed into orbit Wednesday, carrying no crew but a full load of technology experiments.
The Air Force launched its unmanned mini-shuttle late Wednesday morning. An Atlas V rocket lifted it up and out over the Atlantic.
This is the fourth flight for the military research program, which is shrouded in secrecy. The last X-37B mission lasted 674 days and ended with a California touchdown.
Altogether, the first three X-37B flights spanned 1,367 days. That’s 3½ years.
The Air Force won’t say how long this particular mission will last or where it will end.
Public commentary about the launch ended barely five minutes after liftoff, well before the space plane was supposed to settle into a relatively low orbit.