The Boeing X-40A for the Space Manoeuver Test (SMT) vehicle technology demonstrator has made its first flight at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, gliding 9,000ft (3,000m) to earth after release from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The flight demonstrated the X-40A's navigation, guidance and control system, which activated autonomously upon release from the helicopter. The X-40A is a 90% scale reusable experimental space vehicle, built by Boeing under a contract with the USAF Research Laboratory at Kirkland AFB.
Source: Flight International
