Boeing Unveils X-37 Orbital Experimental Vehicle Details

Boeing Phantom Works is working on an orbital experimental vehicle called the X-37 under a cooperative agreement signed in July 1999. The X-37 is projected to be lifted to orbit by either the Space Shuttle or a reusable launch vehicle and returned to Earth using its own power.

The vehicle is expected to measure 27.5 feet long, roughly half the length of the Shuttle payload bay, with a wingspan of 15 feet and weighing about six tons. On-orbit propulsion will be provided by the AR-2/3 engine, which has a legacy dating back to the 1950s.