Wednesday, December 12, 2012

An Atlas V rocket carrying the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-3) is launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on December 11, 2012.
United Launch Alliance

The X-37B lifts off once more... At 10:03 AM, Pacific Standard Time yesterday, an Atlas V rocket carrying the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on a 9-month-plus journey in space. This is the third time since April of 2010 that the U.S. Air Force placed the OTV on a top secret mission in low-Earth orbit. In fact, this is the very same spacecraft (OTV-1) that completed a nearly 225-day flight above our planet two years ago. I would've posted an entry about this yesterday, but seeing as how today is 12/12/12 (even though the date isn't spelled out that way on this and all my other journal entries), just thought I'd wait 24 hours so I could blog on this somewhat meaningful day. That is all.

At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41, the payload fairing carrying OTV-3 is about to be mated with the Atlas V rocket inside the Vertical Integration Facility.
United Launch Alliance

The Atlas V rocket carrying OTV-3 rolls out to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on December 10, 2012.
United Launch Alliance

The Atlas V rocket carrying OTV-3 is launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, on December 11, 2012.
United Launch Alliance

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