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IS IT a robotic spy? An orbiting bomber? A superfast transport system? The X-37B’s return to Earth was the first robot-controlled re-entry and landing in the history of the US space programme, but its purpose remains a mystery.
After more than seven months in orbit, the US air force spacecraft landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on 3 December. Made by Boeing, it is the first US craft to reach orbit and return autonomously to a runway. The Soviet Union’s Buran space shuttle accomplished a…
