The X-37 is projected to be an orbital experimental vehicle to be lifted to orbit by the Space Shuttle or a reusable launch vehicle and returned to Earth under its own power. To be built by the Boeing Phantom Works under a cooperative agreement signed in July 1999, it is projected to be 27.5 feet long, about half the length of the Shuttle payload bay. It is expected to weigh about six tons and to have a wingspan of 15 feet. On-orbit propulsion will be provided by the AR-2/3, a highly reliable engine with a legacy stretching back to the 1950s.
NASA Illustration
The X-37 is a reusable orbital launch vehicle put into orbit atop an Atlas V rocket. It was built by Boeing. The vehicle is used by the U.S. military.
