Officials anticipate more flights of X-37 space plane

The U.S. Air Force and Boeing anticipate more missions of the X-37B space plane to finish testing the craft's flight characteristics and carry top secret experiments into orbit, but there is no firm timetable for additional launches of the robotic mini-space shuttle, according to military officials. Boeing's Phantom Works division built two X-37 vehicles for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, a unit managed from the Pentagon that develops shadowy and fast-track programs for the military. The second X-37B, also called the Orbital Test Vehicle, launched several hundred miles above Earth Saturday on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. It will stay into orbit for up to 270 days, according to Air Force officials. More

(Source: Space Flight Now - Mar 9)