<p>An unmanned US military space plane landed early Saturday after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and conducting science experiments.</p>.<p>The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Its previous mission lasted 780 days.</p>.<p>“Since the X-37B's first launch in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Chilton, a senior vice president for Boeing, its developer.</p>.<p>For the first time, the space plane hosted a service module that carried experiments for the Naval Research Laboratory, US Air Force Academy and others. The module separated from the vehicle before de-orbiting to ensure a safe landing.</p>.<p>Among the experiments was a satellite dubbed the FalconSat-8 that was designed and built by academy cadets in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. It was deployed in October 2021 and still remains in orbit.</p>.<p>Another experiment evaluated the effects of long-duration space exposure on seeds.</p>.<p>“This mission highlights the Space Force's focus on collaboration in space exploration and expanding low-cost access to space for our partners, within and outside of the Department of the Air Force,” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.</p>.<p>The X-37Be has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent a total of 3,774 days in space. </p>
<p>An unmanned US military space plane landed early Saturday after spending a record 908 days in orbit for its sixth mission and conducting science experiments.</p>.<p>The solar-powered vehicle, which looks like a miniature space shuttle, landed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Its previous mission lasted 780 days.</p>.<p>“Since the X-37B's first launch in 2010, it has shattered records and provided our nation with an unrivaled capability to rapidly test and integrate new space technologies,” said Jim Chilton, a senior vice president for Boeing, its developer.</p>.<p>For the first time, the space plane hosted a service module that carried experiments for the Naval Research Laboratory, US Air Force Academy and others. The module separated from the vehicle before de-orbiting to ensure a safe landing.</p>.<p>Among the experiments was a satellite dubbed the FalconSat-8 that was designed and built by academy cadets in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. It was deployed in October 2021 and still remains in orbit.</p>.<p>Another experiment evaluated the effects of long-duration space exposure on seeds.</p>.<p>“This mission highlights the Space Force's focus on collaboration in space exploration and expanding low-cost access to space for our partners, within and outside of the Department of the Air Force,” said Gen. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations.</p>.<p>The X-37Be has now flown over 1.3 billion miles and spent a total of 3,774 days in space. </p>