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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

Secretive US Space Force X-37B space plane 'breaks new ground' as it returns to Earth after 434 days in orbit (photos)

Technicians in bulky protective suits approach a robotic winged space plane at night.

The U.S. Space Force's robotic space plane X-37B returned to Earth has returned to Earth after spending more than 434 days in orbit on a classified mission.

This was the seventh mission for the X-37B space plane, officially designated X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), which landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, today (March 7). Touchdown occurred at 2:22 a.m. EST (0722 GMT).

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