March 16, 2026
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Breaking News
  • [ March 14, 2026 ] NASA Administrator teases further Artemis program updates in one-on-one interview Artemis
  • [ March 13, 2026 ] NASA ready for another shot at launching Artemis 2 moon mission Artemis
  • [ March 13, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Falcon 9
  • [ March 13, 2026 ] SpaceX launches Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral on cloudy Saturday morning Falcon 9
  • [ March 10, 2026 ] NASA inspector general assesses agency’s management of moon lander risk Artemis

Orbital Test Vehicle

Mission Reports

Payloads revealed for next flight of X-37B military spaceplane

May 6, 2020 Stephen Clark

The next flight of the U.S. military’s reusable X-37B spaceplane — scheduled for liftoff May 16 from Cape Canaveral — will carry more experiments into orbit than any of the winged ship’s previous missions, including two payloads for NASA and a small deployable satellite built by Air Force Academy cadets.

Atlas 5

ULA begins stacking rocket for next launch of U.S. military spaceplane

April 24, 2020 Stephen Clark

United Launch Alliance technicians raised the first stage of the company’s next Atlas 5 rocket onto a mobile launch platform at Cape Canaveral Thursday, kicking off the launch vehicle’s build-up for a mission scheduled for liftoff May 16 with the U.S. military’s hush-hush X-37B spaceplane.

Mission Reports

X-37B’s return to Cape Canaveral in images

October 29, 2019 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Air Force has released an infrared video and additional images from Sunday’s landing of the military’s X-37B spaceplane in Florida after a top secret mission that lasted more than two years.

Mission Reports

U.S. military’s X-37B spaceplane lands in Florida

October 27, 2019 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Air Force’s reusable Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane returned to Earth early Sunday with a touchdown at NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility runway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a few miles away from where it launched 780 days ago atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Falcon 9

U.S. Air Force taps SpaceX to launch next X-37B spaceplane mission

June 6, 2017 Stephen Clark

A month after an X-37B mini-space shuttle glided to a landing on Kennedy Space Center’s runway in Florida, the U.S. Air Force announced Tuesday that the spaceplane’s next mission will launch in August aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the first time.

Atlas 5

Photos: Sunday’s return of X-37B after 718 days in space

May 8, 2017 Justin Ray

This gallery of U.S. Air Force photos show technicians, wearing protective SCAPE suits, initially check for hazardous hypergolic fuel vapors around the X-37B spaceplane on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway and the subsequent tow of the vehicle to its newly-renovated hangar at the Kennedy Space Center.

Atlas 5

Video: Sunday’s landing of X-37B at Kennedy Space Center

May 7, 2017 Justin Ray

The U.S. military’s mini space shuttle successfully returned to Earth today, touching down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility after spending 718 days in space.

Antares Launcher

X-37B spaceplane returns to Earth and makes autopilot landing in Florida

May 7, 2017 Justin Ray

The Air Force’s robotic X-37B mini space shuttle swooped out of obscurity today after 718 days spent in orbit on a secretive military mission, touching down at the Kennedy Space Center’s orbiter runway on autopilot, the military announced on Twitter.

News

No imminent X-37B landing planned

February 14, 2017 Justin Ray

The enigmatic X-37B spaceplane, launched into low-Earth orbit on an experimental military mission in 2015, continues to circle the planet despite a flurry of landing rumors.

Atlas 5

Mysterious mini spaceplane the next Atlas 5 payload

March 30, 2015 Justin Ray

With its new homeport in renovated NASA space shuttle hangars off in the distance, the Air Force’s X-37 mini spaceplane will be launched from Cape Canaveral on May 6 for its fourth journey into orbit.

News Headlines

  • NASA Administrator teases further Artemis program updates in one-on-one interview
    March 14, 2026
  • NASA ready for another shot at launching Artemis 2 moon mission
    March 13, 2026
  • SpaceX launches 25 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base
    March 13, 2026
  • SpaceX launches Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral on cloudy Saturday morning
    March 13, 2026
  • NASA inspector general assesses agency’s management of moon lander risk
    March 10, 2026
  • SpaceX launches direct television satellite for EchoStar
    March 9, 2026
  • NASA contract confirms selection of ULA’s Centaur 5 as new upper stage for the SLS rocket
    March 7, 2026
  • SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg SFB Sunday
    March 6, 2026
  • Spanish launch startup PLD Space raises $209 million to scale its rocket production
    March 5, 2026
  • SpaceX launches 600th Starlink satellite of 2026 during predawn Falcon 9 rocket flight from Cape Canaveral
    March 3, 2026
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