D

X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle

Reusable uncrewed spaceplaneIn servicePending verification

Also known as: OTV

SpaceUSA
X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle
Photo: Courtesy photo, U.S. Space Force / DVIDS · Public domain, DVIDS
Fact cardConfidence · Source
System
TypeReusable uncrewed spaceplane
Alternative designationsOTV
ProliferationOrigin country only
First launch2010Med[1]
Satellites2Two vehiclesMed[1]
ContractorsBoeingMed[1]
Dimensions and weight
Mass4,990 kg11,001 lb11,000 lb at launchMed[1]
Length8.9 m29 ft29.25 ftMed[1]
Mission
MissionOTV-6 spent 908 days in orbit (2020–2022); OTV-7 landed at Vandenberg 7 March 2025; OTV-8 was scheduled to launch 21 August 2025 with laser communications and a quantum inertial sensor experimentMed[1]
Orbit
Orbit regimeLEOMed[1]
Orbit altitude177–805 km110–500 mi110–500 milesMed[1]
Summary

Uncrewed reusable spaceplane for long-duration experiments; launches on Atlas V or Falcon rockets and lands on a runway.

Draft entry. Values come from the cited public sources and are awaiting editor verification.
CompareJSON
Operators
Sources
  1. X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (weapons and platforms entry), Air & Space Forces Magazine
    Tier 3 · checked 2026-11-08
Change log
  • 2026-11-08 Entry created from cited open sources