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Mysterious mini spaceplane the next Atlas 5 payload


Mysterious mini spaceplane the next Atlas 5 payload 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. The Orbital Test Vehicle will be the primary payload aboard the next United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, the 54th Atlas 5 and ULA’s 96th mission overall. The launch has a codename AFSPC 5 for the Air Force Space Command flight No. 5. Liftoff is targeted some time between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT (1300-1700 GMT). Stacking of the two-stage launcher began today inside the Vertical Integration Facility at Complex 41. The rocket will fly in its 501 configuration, the 6th flight of its type, that features a five-meter nose cone, no solid boosters and a single engine on the Centaur upper stage.   More



(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 31)

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