Launch Date
May 9, 1963
Launch Site
AFWTR
Launch Pad
LC1-2
Launch Vehicle
Atlas Agena B
NORAD ID
03324
International Designator
1963-014CH
Decay Date
12/14/1990
Name
WESTFORD NEEDLES
Alternative Name
West Ford dipoles
Type
Status
Owner
AFSSD
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Length
0
Diameter
0
Span
0
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
N/A
Radar Cross Section
0.28
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
RCS 0.08
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
Unknown
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Unknown
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
On April 22, 2010, an Atlas V lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying a reusable robotic spaceplane so secret that the Air Force would not even confirm its mission duration. It came back 224 days later, lighter, quieter, and more operational than anyone outside Washington had expected. Fifteen years later, the X-37B is still flying, and the military still will not say what it does.
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