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This Is The Dragon 1/400 Atlas V w/Launch Pad + X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV)
(Space) 56260.
Dragon previously created a detailed 1/72 scale model of the X-37B Orbital
Test Vehicle (OTV), an American unmanned spaceplane that is produced by Boeing.
The X-37 started life in 1999 as a NASA project, but it was taken over by the
Department of Defense (DoD) in 2004. The first orbital flight of the USAF’s
X-37B took place on 22 April 2010 after it was launched using an Atlas V rocket.
Its aerodynamic design is clearly based on that of the Space Shuttle. It is a
classified project, but for space support missions it could rendezvous with
satellites to refuel or repair them. It would also have obvious defense
applications, and could conduct defensive and offensive counter-space missions,
as well as surveillance and reconnaissance.
Now Dragon offers a fascinating 1/400 model that shows the X-37B in combination
with its Atlas V rocket, the current workhorse of US space programs. The X-37B
spaceplane is the product of brand new toolings, and it fits neatly inside the
nose of the Atlas V rocket. Of course it would be a pity just to hide the
spaceplane inside the rocket like this, so the rocket’s nose cone is designed
to open to show the “package” installed inside. This is a fine Dragon model
of craft at the very cutting edge of space technology.
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