San Francisco [US], August 23: Boeing announced Friday that its X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is healthy in orbit and proceeding with standard checkout after the launch.
The company said the spaceplane lifted off at 11:50 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking its eighth mission.
The mission carries a Boeing integrated service module to increase payload capacity for experimentation activities in orbit, said the company.
"Our role is to make sure the spaceplane is the most reliable testbed it can be," said Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems Business. "Launch is the starting line for this mission, but the work that follows -- the quiet, methodical work on orbit, analysis and eventual return is where progress is earned."
Since its first flight in 2010, the orbital test vehicle has completed seven missions and accumulated more than 4,200 days in space, according to Boeing.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
