After 
more than one year on orbit, the Air Force is preparing to bring back to Earth OTV-2, its second X-37B orbital test vehicle, announced service officials May 30. Members of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., are prepping for the return of the experimental reusable spaceplane sometime in early to mid June, depending on weather and technical considerations, according to a Vandenberg release. “The men and women of Team Vandenberg are ready to execute safe landing operations anytime and at a moment’s notice,” said Col. Nina Armagno, 30th SW commander. The Air Force launched OTV-2 into space in March 2011 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. Service officials have not disclosed what the X-37 has been doing on orbit or what payload it carried into space in its internal bay, but they’ve said they’ve been pleased with the vehicle’s experiments. OTV-1, the first X-37 vehicle, returned to Earth in December 2010 after nearly eight months on orbit.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.