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Atlas V 501 | OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) (AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer

Atlas V 501 | OTV-4 (X-37B) (USA 261) (AFSPC-5) & ULTRASat cubesat deployer

Status: Success  |  Launched: May 20, 2015 15:05 UTC

Launch Provider & Rocket

Mission

It is the second flight of the second Boeing X-37B vehicle and the fourth flight of the program. United States Air Force Orbital Test Vehicle is an unmanned 5000 kg, 8.8 m-long reusable mini-spaceplane capable of autonomous re-entry and landing. The OTV-4 mission was to test Aerojet Rocketdyne's XR-5A Hall-effect thruster and conduct a NASA investigation for testing various materials in space. The mission concluded after 717 days in orbit, marking the first time X-37B landed on the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center.

  • Type: Government/Top Secret
  • Orbit: Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Launch Site

  • Pad: Space Launch Complex 41
  • Location: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
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Launch data sourced automatically from the Launch Library 2 API. Last refreshed: 2026-08-22T21:02:10.804714+00:00.