US military space plane blasts off on another secretive mission expected to last years

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

The U.S. military has launched its secret space plane on another mission that’s expected to last at least a couple of years. Known as the X-37B, the mini space shuttle blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday aboard a SpaceX rocket. The Space Force’s reusable, robotic craft is carrying classified experiments. There’s no one on board. It’s the seventh flight since its debut in 2010. Altogether, the program has logged more than 10 years in orbit. The last mission lasted 2 1/2 years.