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X-37B military space plane lands after 22-month secret mission [i]The U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane has returned to Earth after nearly two years in orbit. The unmanned mini space shuttle, which is also referred to as an Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), landed on Runway 12 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Friday (Oct. 17) at 9:24 a.m. PDT (1624 GMT). "I am extremely proud of our team for coming together to execute this third safe and successful landing," Col. Keith Balts, commander of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, said in a release. "Everyone from our on console space operators to our airfield managers and civil engineers take pride in this unique mission and exemplify excellence during its execution." Launched on Dec. 11, 2012, the winged spacecraft logged 675 days orbiting the Earth. What the X-37B was doing for all that time however, has been kept secret.[/i]
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